According to the latest State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks by ACT Research, same dealer used Class 8 retail truck sales returned to sequential decline in January. The 12% m/m decrease was directionally consistent with, but greater than, the expected 6% seasonal drop.

“January is usually the second weakest sales month of the year, running about 6% below average,” said Steve Tam, Vice President at ACT Research. He continued, “The auction and wholesale markets also both cooled in January. Auction volumes shriveled 56% m/m in typical first month of the quarter fashion. Wholesale dealer activity was off 10% m/m. Combined, January total market same dealer sales volumes trailed December by 31%.

“The Class 8 average retail sale price slid 3.4% m/m in January, falling to $55,308. Longer term, prices were down a similar percentage (-3.5%) y/y,” Tam explained.

ACT’s Used Classes 3-8 report 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.