COLUMBUS, Ind. — Although April was a sluggish month for used Class 8 tractor same dealer sales growth, movement of units off of sales lots is still increasing (+1.9% month-over-month).
This is according to the latest preliminary release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks published by ACT Research.
“Though the margin is narrowing, the volume growth was counter to seasonality, which called for a sizable decline,” said Steve Tam, vice president at ACT research. “As is often the case in the first month of the quarter, auction volumes decreased meaningfully, down 48% month-over-month, with wholesale activity trailing off 9.2% month-over-month.”
April retail sales are normally very average, thanks to a nearly nine percentage point decrease from March, Tam noted.
Additionally, second quarter sales tend to be pretty average, as well, with June as the epitome of average. Sales are usually lackluster in July as well, according to ACT.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.