April sales of new Class 8 trucks remain strong even as new orders plummet

In a market fraught with uncertainty, U.S. sales of both new and used Class 8 trucks remained strong in April, while orders for future purchase hit a 59-month low.

According to data received from Wards Intelligence, 18,078 new, Class 8 trucks were reported sold in April. That number is down 604 trucks from March’s 18,682, but by only 3.2%.

It’s not unusual for April sales numbers to dip below March, since March is the last month of the first quarter of the year. Carriers often invest profits into equipment purchases towards the end of each quarter to help balance tax liabilities.

Compared with April 2024, however, sales declined by 8.7%. For the year to date, 68,660 trucks have been sold on the U.S. market. That’s a little more than 7,000 units — or about 9.3% — the first four months of 2024.

New truck sales have an impact on freight rates.

When the supply of available trucks exceeds the demand for them, the result is an overcapacity situation — and freight rates remain low due to competition. When fewer new trucks are entering the trucking industry, the capacity supply goes down.

This time around, it’s a slow process. There are a couple of major reasons.

1. Changes to EPA standards

New government standards for fuel efficiency and emissions control that were scheduled to go into effect with the 2027 model year were expected to raise the price of a new Class 8 truck by $30,000 or more. Carriers were expected to respond by purchasing more 2025 and 2026 models, staving off the additional costs.

However, the Trump administration has announced reviews of the new requirements, claiming they push the industry toward the purchase of electric vehicles that current technology doesn’t support.

While the tougher standards may not be implemented with the 2027 model year, they have not been completely eliminated or replaced by other policy. Whether trucking will pre-buy trucks to a lesser degree, if at all, isn’t clear.

2. Uncertain economy

The second variable is the economy, especially the impact of tariffs announced by President Donald Trump. Tariffs impact both the cost of new equipment and the freight that the equipment might be used to haul.

All major Class 8 truck brands in the U.S. are owned by foreign entities. These vehicles are constructed using parts and components manufactured outside of the U.S. — including steel and aluminum. Tariffs could significantly impact the prices for new equipment. And, if tariffs reduce the amount of freight available to haul, paying for that new equipment gets even harder.

Trump has reduced or eliminated some of the tariffs he announced, but a trade war still exists. Predicting where truck prices or freight rates will go is a roll of the dice these days.

Another Trump action, an executive order requiring truck drivers to read and write the English language, could play a role as well. Depending on how many non-English-speaking drivers are removed from the national fleet, reduced competition for freight could drive rates upward. When rates are up, more trucks are sold.

Predicting future truck sales is difficult.

One indicator is how many trucks are ordered for future delivery. ACT Research reported preliminary orders of 7,600 units for April. That figure was later revised upward to 8,200. According to Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst at ACT, the number represented a 52% decline from April 2024.

“(It) represented a 59-month low, a level unseen since the onset of the pandemic, when uncertainty was comparatively high,” he said.

Vieth called the delay in greenhouse gas mandates a potential “silver lining.”

“Trump’s EPA, while still on the fence for the EPA’s Clean Truck mandate in 2027, has signaled that GHG-3 is viewed as regulatory overreach and unlikely to survive, allowing forecasts to float higher,” he said.

Used truck sales remained strong in April.

For April 2025, ACT reported a 9% increase over March sales and a 23% increase over April 2024 units sold. The price of the average truck rose 4% while the average miles dropped 3%, an indication that buyers had more trucks to choose from.

“Despite the mixed signals from both within and from outside of the industry, buyers continued to capitalize on a well, but not over stocked inventory of available equipment at affordable prices,” said Tim Denoyer, vice president at ACT.

Reports from truck OEMs vary.

Freightliner reported U.S. sales of 6,551 for April, down 10.1% from March and down just 1% from April 2024. The company has sold 25,945 Class 8 trucks for the year to date, good for 37.8% of all Class 8 sales from the major OEMs.

International reported sales of 1,315, down 15.1% from March and down 32.1% from April 2024. Year-to-date sales of 7,183 were good for 10.5% of the market, up 0.4% from the same point last year.

Kenworth’s 3,038 sold in April topped March sales by 8.2%, but year-to-date sales of 10,627 are running 14.4% behind the first four months of 2024. Kenworth’s 15.0% share of the new Class 8 market is running behind last April’s 15.9%.

Peterbilt has followed a similar path with April sales of 3,096, an increase of 7.6% over March sales but a decline of 6.7% from April 2024 numbers. Peterbilt sales are running 12.3% behind last year’s pace and their share of the market has dropped from 15.9% to 15.4%.

Volvo sales of 1,511 represented a decline of 4.2% from March and 25.8% from April 2024. The company’s total sales of 5,473 for the first four months of 2025 was a drop of 28.2% from the same point last year, and Volvo’s percentage of the Class 8 market fell from 10.1% last year to 8.0% this year.

Mack’s 1,504 trucks sold in April was just 14 less than March sales, a decline of 0.9%. Compared with April 2024, sales declined 2.1%. Year to date, sales of 5,398 are a 10.5% improvement from last year as the company’s share of the market has risen by 1.4%.

Western Star continues strong production with sales of 1,059 in April, four more than in March. Compared with the first four months of 2024, however, Wester Star sales have increased 10.9% as the company’s share of the market has increased to 5.5%.

Based on order numbers, larger sales declines are coming, but when it will happen is anyone’s guess.

Cliff Abbott is an experienced commercial vehicle driver and owner-operator who still holds a CDL in his home state of Alabama. In nearly 40 years in trucking, he’s been an instructor and trainer and has managed safety and recruiting operations for several carriers. Having never lost his love of the road, Cliff has written a book and hundreds of songs and has been writing for The Trucker for more than a decade.

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