September Class 8 Retail Sales Fall 1.9% Year Over Year

Western Star 57X. Western Star posted the largest year-over-year increase at 45.6% (Western Star Trucks)

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U.S. Class 8 truck retail sales fell year over year in September for a second consecutive month and the eighth month out of nine so far in 2024. However, sales rose on a month-on-month basis.

Truck sales in September fell 1.9% to 21,813 vehicles from 22,231 units last year. But sales increased 5.5% from 20,671 units reported in August. Year-to-date sales were down 12.3% to 177,368 units from 202,335.

Sales rose compared with the same month in 2023 at four of the seven major Class 8 truck brands.

Western Star, a unit of Daimler Truck North America, posted the largest year-over-year increase in sales in percentage terms. Western Star sold 1,006 trucks in September, a 45.6% jump compared with 691 vehicles in the same period a year earlier.

Kenworth Truck Co. and Volvo Trucks North America also saw higher sales in the most recent month.

Paccar Inc. unit Kenworth’s sales rose 5.9% year over year in September to 3,176 Class 8 trucks from 2,998 units.

Sales at Volvo Group subsidiary VTNA rose 5.1% to 2,514 vehicles from 2,393.

Freightliner, also a brand of DTNA, won the largest market share in September with 8,137 trucks sold, accounting for 37.3% of all sales in the month, and its total increased 3.4% from 7,869 in September 2023.

Mack Trucks sales saw the biggest year-on-year percentage decline, decreasing 28% to 1,168 units from 1,622 in the year-ago period. Mack is also a unit of Volvo Group.

Sales at International Motors, which was known as Navistar until Oct. 1, fell 15.5% to 2,705 trucks from 3,202.

Peterbilt Motors Co. sales declined 10.6% to 3,088 units from 3,456. Peterbilt is also a Paccar subsidiary.