Reported volumes of used Classes 3-8 truck sales continued their slide into negative territory in November 2011. Volumes were mixed on a channel by channel basis, with auction dealers able to obtain and sell more equipment, offsetting some of the softness in the retail and wholesale markets.
The update on the used market was reported in the latest release of the State of the Industry: US Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, published by ACT Research.
“The industry was hopeful that improved new truck sales would provide some much needed relief for the growing used truck inventory shortage, but so far that has not happened,” said Steve Tam, vice-president, commercial vehicle sector with ACT. “Perhaps an explanation is that the used trucks are being remarketed through channels outside of the ACT database or are being sold directly by the trucker. Another plausible explanation is that because the units are older with more miles, it is taking longer for them to be repaired and reconditioned before they are saleable units.”
The report from ACT provides data on the average used price for the top-selling Class 8 model for each of the major truck original equipment manufacturers—Freightliner (Daimler); Kenworth and Peterbilt (Paccar); International (Navistar); and Volvo and Mack (Volvo). For subscription information to the full report, please go to the ACT web site at http://www.actresearch.net