Class 8 Sales Soar 90.4%

.S. retail sales of Class 8 trucks rose to their highest level in nearly four years in March, soaring 90.4% over the volumes of a year earlier.

For the first three months of 2004, sales were more than 57% higher than in the comparable period of the previous year. Industry analysts said buyers are showing increased confidence in both the equipment and the economy by adding capacity and replacing older units.

“The vocational segment is good. Small and medium fleets are strong. And we are seeing more qualified owner-operators with the capacity to buy trucks in increasing numbers,” Mark Lampert, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Freightliner Trucks brand, told Transport Topics April 14.

ruck makers sold 16,767 big rigs in March, the most since August 2000, according to Ward’s Communications of Southfield, Mich., which tracks the data.

For the full story, see the April 19 edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.