Wards: Truck sales taper in September

Retail sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks sales slipped in September from the month before, but Class 8 continued to lead the market by posting huge gains compared to a year ago, according to figures compiled by Wards Intelligence.

Dealers sold 67,529 trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings above 10,000 pounds last month, down 4% from August. By weight, the totals were 24,708 in Class 3 (-1%); 1,335 in Class 4 (-23%), 6,504 in Class 5 (-10%); 6,110 in Class 6 (+11%), the lone gain; 5,224 n Class 7 (-24%); and 23,648 in Class 8 (-1%).

Compared to sales in September 2017 the totals were up 9%, with Class 8 running 34% ahead of last year and Class 6 up 37%. Class 3, the largest market, posted a decrease from a year ago, down 6%.

For the first nine months of the year, medium- and heavy-duty truck sales were up 9% compared with 2017, again led by Class 8 and its 33% improvement. And, again, only Class 3 (-5%) has posted the only decline in the YTD total.

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