Retail sales of commercial trucks were up slightly from the previous month, but the ultra-small gain was not enough to offset losses earlier in the year, according to figures compiled by Wards Communications.
Sales of trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings above 10,000 pounds were off 15% when compared with October 2007 levels and were down 18% for the first 10 months of the year.
Class 8 trucks (GVW ratings above 33,000 pounds) were up sharply in October when compared with October 2007. Dealers sold 10,891 Class 8 trucks for the month, compared with 9,677 a year ago.
The increase, however, was not shared with other GVW classes. Class 3 trucks were down 34% from October 2007. Class 4 trucks were off 40%, and Class 5 models edged down 6%. Class 6 and 7 trucks were off 29% and 9%, respectively.