Medium and heavy trucks continued selling at a brisk pace in September, according to figures compiled by Wards Communications.
Dealers sold 53,738 trucks with GVW ratings above 10,000 pounds during the month, up 16% from September 2004.
Class 3 and Class 5 trucks each led the way with a 27% increase when compared with September 2004 sales. Class 8 trucks also had a strong month, up 16% from a year earlier.
Through the first nine months of 2005, truck dealers sold 498,049 trucks with GVW ratings above 10,000 pounds, up 30% from the corresponding period of 2004.
Slow sales of light-duty trucks (GVW ratings of 10,000 pounds or less) pulled the overall market down. Retail sales of Class 1 and 2 trucks were down 14% and 28%, respectively, from September 2004. For the year, Class 1 sales were 5,096.947, up 5% from a year earlier. The 1,994,941 Class 2 trucks sold during the first nine months of 2005 were off 6% from the corresponding period of 2004.