May Medium-Duty Sales Climb 36% From 2020 Period
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U.S. retail sales in May for Classes 4-7 improved 36% compared with a year earlier, as all but the heaviest class showed strong gains, WardsAuto .com reported.
Sales reached 20,134 compared with 14,809 a year earlier.
Year-to-date sales jumped 21.5% to 99,318 compared with 81,766 in the 2020 period, according to Wards.
“Private fleets and lease and rental fleets are driving the demand, largely, and most of what is occurring is replacement activity,” ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam told Transport Topics.
At the same time, “[April marked] a watershed month for getting back in the black in the government ledgers for tax receipts,” he added. “So we’re looking for some good things there” as far as more new truck purchases from that sector.
Sales in Class 7 dropped 30.2% to 3,909 compared with the 2020 period.
Sales in Class 6 soared 64.5% to 4,767 compared with a year earlier.
Classes 4-5 had the largest numerical improvement in sales, climbing to 11,458 compared with 8,469 a year earlier.
Overall, the combined segment’s sales increased 35.3% compared with the 2020 period. The lion’s share of the gain came in Class 5.
In related news, May brought a recall of eight Freightliner 2019 eBusiness Class M2 models with the 14Xe powertrain. It was parent company Daimler Trucks North America’s first medium-duty electric truck to be evaluated ahead of serial production.
“Part of that initial stage is learning as you go, so you can do things differently on the next model,” Tam said.
The issue involves potential for high heat.
“The stator lug terminations were insufficiently crimped, creating high resistance and ultimately excessive heat,” component supplier Meritor Inc., based in Troy, Mich., stated in a DTNA report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The operator may experience loss of power due to the accessory systems. The loss of power may lead to failure to propel and failure to energize the system.”
Meritor added: “The operator can experience a warning from the supervisory controller preceding a loss of power.”
On May 25, five people pleaded guilty to staging two accidents in New Orleans with tractor-trailers in 2017, while obtaining fraudulent financial settlements totaling more than $282,000. Is the situation surrounding fraudulent settlements getting worse or better in 2021? Host Michael Freeze talks with TT's Eric Miller and Eleanor Lamb. Hear a snippet above, and get the full program by going to RoadSigns.TTNews.com.
Ford Motor Co. also issued a powertrain recall, which covered potentially 17,616 F-350, F-450, F-550, and F-600 vehicles from 2021 equipped with dual rear wheels and front wheel hub extenders.
Detroit-based Ford reported the front wheel hub extenders may be improperly attached to the front rotor hub assemblies, which could result in separation of the wheels and wheel extenders from the vehicle.
Although he had no specific knowledge of the cause, Tam said, “It could have been a training thing. In the labor markets we are in today, it’s almost a revolving door in HR anymore.”
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