U.S. and Canadian medium- and heavy-duty truck sales made overall gains in July compared with the prior year, WardsAuto reports, but a breakdown by class shows where sales in the two countries diverge. That's particularly true for Class 8 trucks.
In the United States, Class 8 sales "accounted for the bulk of big-truck gains with nearly all brands enjoying double-digit increases," according to WardsAuto, and were up by 24.4% compared with July 2014. That helped drive a year-over-year 12.0% increase for U.S. medium and heavy duty sales overall.
In Canada, however, sales data tell a different story. "All segments except for Class 8 enjoyed gains," WardsAuto reports. Canadian Class 8 truck sales fell 2.9% overall in July compared with the prior year, with only Freightliner and Volvo posting gains in the segment. Compared with U.S. sales, Canadian medium and heavy duty truck sales overall showed a smaller year-over-year increase of 1.9% for July.
WardsAuto notes there was at least one welcome decrease, though in another arena: "The average price of a gallon of on-highway diesel fuel was down for the 11th straight week." Click here to read the full report on Canadian sales or here on U.S. sales, including breakdowns by class and a closer look at manufacturers' sales, or visit wardsauto.com for more information.
