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DTNA Q1 Sales Decline 24.5% Year Over Year
North American Sales Fall 13.5% Compared With Q4 2025
Key Takeaways:
- Daimler Truck North America sold 29,432 trucks and buses in Q1 2026, down 24.5% from the same period a year earlier.
- The North American decline contributed to a 9.1% drop in Daimler Truck’s global first-quarter sales.
- Mercedes-Benz Trucks sales rose 12.5% in Q1, partially offsetting weaker North American results.
Daimler Truck North America sold 29,432 trucks and buses in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 24.5% compared with 38,992 vehicles in the same period a year earlier.
The North American figures dragged down the worldwide total for parent company Daimler Truck even as European sales increased, the company said April 10.
First-quarter sales at DTNA — parent company of Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses — also fell 13.5% sequentially compared with 34,017 trucks and buses in the fourth quarter of 2025, which itself was down 27.5% year on year from 46,906 vehicles, company data shows.
Q1 is typically, however, a weaker quarter for sales than Q4.
Daimler does not break down sales by vehicle type or brand.
North American truck sales in the past few quarters took a beating as persistent weakness in the freight market plus uncertainty spawned by the trade policies of the Trump administration curtailed fleets’ rolling stock expenditure.
Class 8 retail truck sales in 2025 fell 13.3% to 208,386 from 240,249, according to Omdia Automotive data.
Freightliner won a 35.3% share of the Class 8 retail sales market in 2025, down from 36% in 2024, as the brand’s sales fell 14.9% to 73,585 trucks from 86,470 in 2024.
Orders Up, Sales Down
While orders have surprised to the upside since the start of 2026, with jumps of more than 100% year over year in February and March, sales were down by double-digit percentages in January and February compared with the same months in 2025.
With DTNA sales declining, Daimler Truck’s global total also fell, though an increase in Mercedes-Benz Trucks sales provided some support.
Daimler Truck sold 68,849 trucks and buses in Q1, a decrease of 9.1% compared with 75,758 in the same quarter in 2025.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks sold 34,486 vehicles in Q1, an increase of 12.5% compared with 30,645 trucks in the year-ago period.
Daimler Truck will issue full Q1 results May 6.
