ACT Research: Used Truck Sales Open 2020 Up Sequentially, but Down Y/Y
According to the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3–8 Used Trucks, published by ACT Research, used Class 8 same dealer sales volumes improved 4% month-over-month in January, but longer-term sales were down 1% year-over-year compared to January 2019. The report also indicated that used Class 8 average price started 2020 up 7% month-over-month, with average miles dropping 4% sequentially and average age down 2% compared to the last month of 2019. Longer term, average price, miles, and age were all below January 2019, shedding 11%, 1%, and 4%, respectively.
The report from ACT provides data on the average selling price, miles, and age based on a sample of industry data. In addition, the report provides the average selling price for top-selling Class 8 models for each of the major truck OEMs — Freightliner (Daimler); Kenworth and Peterbilt (Paccar); International (Navistar); and Volvo and Mack (Volvo). This report is utilized by those throughout the industry, including commercial vehicle dealers, to gain a better understanding of the used truck market, especially as it relates to changes in near-term performance.
“Dealers are reporting that there are more used trucks available and prices are well below late 2018 and early 2019 levels, which has scared many people in trucking,” said Steve Tam, Vice President at ACT Research. He continued, “Many dealers wrote down the values of their used trucks in late 2019 and early 2020, taking loses in late 2019 to properly position dealers for 2020.” Tam added, “The bad news is some large losses had to be taken; the good news is there are some used truck bargains available for savvy buyers. Some truckers and dealers are in for rocky times if they have not adjusted their expectations for values on their trades and truck inventory.”
ACT Research is recognized as the leading publisher of commercial vehicle truck, trailer, and bus industry data, market analysis and forecasts for the North America and China markets. ACT’s analytical services are used by all major North American truck and trailer manufacturers and their suppliers, as well as banking and investment companies. ACT Research is a contributor to the Blue Chip Economic Indicators and a member of the Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Panel. ACT Research executives have received peer recognition, including election to the Board of Directors of the National Association for Business Economics, appointment as Consulting Economist to the National Private Truck Council, and the Lawrence R. Klein Award for Blue Chip Economic Indicators’ Most Accurate Economic Forecast over a four-year period. ACT Research senior staff members have earned accolades including Chicago Federal Reserve Automotive Outlook Symposium Best Overall Forecast, Wall Street Journal Top Economic Outlook, and USA Today Top 10 Economic Forecasters. More information can be found at www.actresearch.net.
Click here for more information about ACT’s US Used Classes 3–8 Truck Report.
To learn more about other publications offered by ACT Research, click here.
