Class 8 truck sales end year of declines with slight bump

International Motors' sales climbed 18.4% to 2,498 units from 2,110 in June, the best year-over-year rise of the seven major truck manufacturers. (International Motors)

U.S. Class 8 retail sales came in slightly above the previous year in June after a yearlong stretch of declines.

Omdia Automotive data showed sales for the month increased 0.3% to 20,452 trucks from the 20,392 reported during the prior-year period. The results also came in 18.4% above the 17,280 units reported in May.

The last time sales increased on an annual basis was exactly a year earlier in June 2025, which was the only gain for all of that year. Year-to-date sales are still 12.9% lower at 93,866 units compared with 107,827.

“It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam said. “Despite its moderate nature, I think it’s consistent with the underlying fundamentals in the space. So we’re seeing freight increase, but not at dramatic rates.”

ACT Research is expecting about 229,000 units to be sold this year. The June data would push that estimate closer to 231,000. Tam suspects carriers are feeling better about their prospects as they watch their margins improve with the market. But he also pointed out this has been a capacity-driven market adjustment — so there is room to improve — and that the Iran war and global energy markets have been the bigger influences.

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Tam 

“I just saw a headline that said diesel went back above $5 a gallon again,” Tam said. “We had a temporary reprieve. I hope that descending back into the fray is not going to mess up what’s happening on the retail sales side.”

Still, Tam expects sales to continue to grow in the second half alongside market fundamentals. He said he’s also heard anecdotally that much of the increase is coming from the for-hire truckload segment, which bore the brunt of the freight downturn.

“From our perspective, we think sales should only increase from this point,” Tam said. “We kind of have the midyear as an inflection point for growth in retail sales. So as long as everybody stays at the table and the party continues, that’s the path that we should be on.”

Omdia data showed the slight sales increase was driven by three of the seven major truck manufacturers. International sales climbed 18.4% to 2,498 units from 2,110. Mack Trucks sales increased 15.3% to 1,794 units from 1,556. Volvo Trucks North America sales came in 13.4% ahead of the prior-year period at 1,878 units from 1,656.

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Morosin 

“Class 8 retail sales continued to trend higher in June, supported by improving freight fundamentals and tightening capacity,” said Justina Morosin, senior vice president of sales and field operations at International. “As capacity tightens and regulatory changes approach, fleets are making deliberate investments to position themselves for future growth.”

Morosin added that ongoing gains in fuel efficiency are also becoming an increasingly important factor in customer purchase decisions. Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America, agreed with that sentiment.

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Randall 

“Retail sales continued to strengthen in June, reflecting the impact of strong freight rates and improving freight demand on fleet purchasing decisions,” Randall said. “As freight demand builds and pre-buy activity increases, we expect this momentum to carry through the second half of the year.”

Freightliner, a brand of Daimler Truck North America, claimed the largest market share at 35.6% with 7,291 trucks sold. This marked a decrease of 8.2% from 7,944 units sold in June 2025. Western Star sales, another DTNA brand, declined 5.5% to 1,073 from 1,136.

Peterbilt Motors Co. truck sales fell 1.6% to 2,966 from 3,014. Kenworth Truck Co. sales dipped 0.6% to 2,951 from 2,970.

U.S. medium-duty truck sales also showed a long-awaited gain by increasing 13.6% to 20,210 units from 17,797. But this was overwhelmingly due to Classes 6 and 7. Tam pointed out that lease rental and moving companies have typically been the dominant customers for those classes. But he suspects this time it might be the increased enforcement leading to drivers losing their commercial driver licenses.

“There is a hypothesis, and there’s some anecdotes that support it, that some of those drivers are moving into box trucks,” Tam said. “Similarly, you’ve got carriers who are trying to move freight and can’t find drivers. So, the hypothesis goes the two are gravitating toward each other.”

Omdia data showed that medium-duty sales increased 14.4% from the 17,663 units reported in May. Class 7 sales increased 12.2% to 4,870 units from 4,342 a year earlier. Class 6 increased 37.8% to 7,434 from 5,395. Class 6 declined 2.6% to 6,195 from 6,361. Class 4 increased 0.7% to 1,711 from 1,699 a year earlier.