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Used Truck Market Shows Stability Despite Mixed Signals
April Prices Edge Higher as Sales Hold Steady Month to Month
Key Takeaways:
- Used Class 8 truck sales rose year over year but were flat sequentially, reflecting a plateau in overall market activity.
- Pricing trends were mixed across retail, wholesale and auction channels, though average retail prices increased from both prior periods.
- Analysts cited improving freight rates and stable demand but warned of risks from tariffs, fuel costs and policy uncertainty.
Used Class 8 truck sales plateaued with the retail, auction and wholesale markets driving mixed results for April.
ACT Research reported sales increased 5.5% to 24,900 units from 23,600 the prior year but were unchanged from the prior month. Same-dealer used retail truck sales faltered, according to the report, but not enough to cause concern. The 3.3% sequential decline was directionally consistent but stronger than the expected 11% seasonal drop.
“April is the sixth-strongest sales month of the year, running 2% below average,” said Steve Tam, vice president at ACT Research. “The auction and wholesale markets were mixed in April.”
ACT Research reported that the average retail sales price increased 1.9% to $59,122 from $58,025 the prior year and 4.2% sequentially from $56,749. Average mileage increased 0.8% to 403,000 from 400,000 a year ago but declined 1.2% from 408,000 miles in March.
“Auction volumes sank 52% [month to month], as is normally the case for the first month of the quarter,” Tam said. “Wholesale dealer activity edged 6.1% higher m/m. Combined, April’s total market same dealer sales volumes were 23% lower m/m.”
[May State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks Update] - Used Truck Sales Declined While Prices Improved in April
Same dealer used Class 8 retail truck sales faltered a bit but do not give cause for concern.
Read more from the update here: https://t.co/OACeSkVsoG pic.twitter.com/9GBRaIYun4 — ACT Research (@actresearch) May 29, 2026
J.D. Power noted in a report that auction pricing recovered from a weak March, while retail pricing was largely unchanged. The data showed retail selling prices increased 0.2% sequentially and 0.8% from 2025. Wholesale prices decreased 2.1% from the prior month and 3.1% from the previous year. Auction prices increased 8.5% sequentially but declined 5.3% from 2025.
“Used truck pricing has historically tracked freight spot rate movement, at least directionally,” Chris Visser, director of specialty vehicles at J.D. Power, wrote in the report. “Both metrics began turning positive in Q4 of last year with momentum building through Q1.”
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Visser
The report noted that auction volume rebounded modestly during the month following an atypically soft March. Dealership retail sales pulled back from the strong performance last month and still ranked as the second-strongest month in more than four years.
“The spot market’s strength is a supply-side phenomenon driven by structural factors,” Visser said. “Sustained rate improvement, healthy retail sales and stable pricing collectively signal that the used truck market has cycled back into positive territory.”
Visser warned that there are still ongoing risks pertaining to tariff volatility, fuel cost pressures and policy uncertainty. J.D. Power’s report also noted that retail truck age is stabilizing near 58 months, which is a full year younger than the long-term average.
