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July medium-duty truck sales increase on Class 6 strength
ACT Research's Tam points to local transportation jobs as a possible factor behind demand
Ford sold the most Class 6 trucks in July with 3,432. The Class 6 market as a whole jumped 39.4% year over year. (Ford Motor Co.)
Key Takeaways:
- Classes 4-7 retail truck sales increased 4.8% year over year to 18,023 units in July.
- Class 6 sales jumped 39.4% to 7,091 units and were the only segment to post an annual gain.
- Steve Tam said local transportation jobs may be contributing to demand for medium-duty trucks.
U.S. medium-duty truck sales gained momentum in July due largely to a jump in the Class 6 market.
Omdia Automotive data shows Classes 4-7 retail truck sales increased 4.8% to 18,023 units from 17,204 reported during the prior-year period, but were down 10.8% sequentially from 20,210 in June. The previous month also marked the first year-over-year increase since January 2025.
“We still have this nagging hypothesis,” ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam said. “Are you seeing folks who are losing their credentials going into a smaller truck, or perhaps people getting in a truck that they haven’t been in before.”
Tam has noted how some buyers seek out medium-duty trucks to avoid the requirements for a commercial driver license.. He suspects local transportation jobs have been bolstering this trend, with employment increasing since the coronavirus-era peak even as transportation employment in general has steadily declined.
“To me, that says more local jobs, therefore we need more medium-duty trucks. And that Class 6 truck seems to be fitting the bill quite nicely and enjoying the fruits of the dynamic,” Tam said.
Class 7 sales declined 6% to 4,906 units from 5,220 during the prior year. Class 6 showed the only increase, 39.4% to 7,091 from 5,086. Class 5 fell 8% to 5,024 from 5,462, and Class 4 declined 30.2% to 1,002 from 1,436 the prior year.
Freightliner reported the most Class 7 sales at 2,160 units. Ford sold the most Class 6 trucks (3,432) and the most Class 5 (2,615). Isuzu’s 683 units sold led Class 4.
