March Truck Sales Smash Record

riginal equipment manufacturers sold more heavy-duty trucks last month than ever before, moving 25,895 Class 8 trucks to U.S. buyers. The 26.2% sales jump over the strong March 2005 market level puts truck makers on a pace this year to break the record level of Class 8 U.S. sales set in 1999.

As reasons for the booming sales, OEMs cited a generally strong economy and the pre-buy of vehicles to avoid 2007 models that will have more complicated anti-pollution systems. One industry analyst estimated that there are only about 330 heavy-duty slots left on 2006 order boards across all North American manufacturers.

“These results reflect several things, first being the pre-buy. Companies have been ordering strong since last year because of this, but it’s also because of the healthy state of the economy,” said Roy Wiley, a spokesman for International Truck and Engine Corp.