[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
Class 8 Sales in February Hit Eighth Month Below Prior Year
Sales Decreased 17.4% to 12,992 Units
Key Takeaways:
- Sales in February fell year over year 17.4% to 12,992 units.
- Sales rose 5.7% from the 12,287 units sold in January.
- Freightliner led the market with 4,512 trucks sold, or a 34.7% share.
U.S. Class 8 retail sales slipped again in February, extending an eight‑month streak of year‑over‑year declines and underscoring the uncertainty clouding the 2026 economic outlook — even as the market posted a modest sequential gain.
Omdia Automotive data showed February sales fell 17.4% to 12,992 units from 15,725 a year earlier. The last year‑over‑year gain came in June 2025. Sales did rise 5.7% from January’s 12,287 units, but ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam cautioned that the uptick does little to offset broader weakness.
“The fact that we saw a sequential uptick is a positive move,” he said, but stressed that the overall pace remains soft. His calculations put February at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of about 185,000 units — well below his 225,000‑unit forecast. Still, he said the slight improvement could signal the beginnings of firmer demand as the year progresses.
“We hear ... freight is picking up a little bit, and some drivers are leaving the market and capacity is tightening. You [also] have some seasonal strength in freight,” he said. But Tam also noted that “asterisks or footnotes” often accompany any predictions of a potential turnaround, lending to the uncertainty that still clouds business operations for many companies.
At the top of that list is economic ambiguity fueled by White House tariff policy shifts, which continue to complicate forecasting. President Donald Trump has explored multiple avenues for imposing tariffs, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, but the U.S. Supreme Court rejected that approach. Tam believes companies are adapting to the uncertainty.
“What it tells us is that’s the environment in which we can expect to operate,” Tam said. “We might not know all the details, but we know that we’re going to have this cloud [that] will be hanging over our heads. People are moving on with it.”
Image
Tam stressed that many fleets may be nearing the point where further delaying replacement cycles is no longer practical. Manufacturers already nudged some buyers off the sidelines with aggressive pricing last fall, and February’s strong order intake — 46,400 units — points to pent‑up demand.
“It was the OEMs going out and saying, ‘If you’re thinking about buying a truck, let’s look at the calendar,’ ” Tam said. “We did benefit from that. Now what we haven’t seen is the corresponding, ‘Now the orders are in the books, let’s start producing.’ ”
Tam also noted late‑month complications for February tied to the ongoing military conflict with Iran. Higher fuel prices are raising operating costs, he noted, and a prolonged conflict could threaten freight demand.
Omdia data showed five of the seven major manufacturers reported lower sales. Freightliner led the market with 4,512 trucks sold, or a 34.7% share, though that figure represented an 18.9% drop from a year earlier. Western Star sales declined 6.3% to 735 units. International sales fell 4% to 1,702. Peterbilt sank 31% to 1,750, and Kenworth dropped 37.4% to 1,604. Mack rose 8.6% to 1,336, while Volvo Trucks North America increased 5.4% to 1,337.
“Industry retail sales in the U.S. and Canada totaled 14,318 units in February, which is actually the lowest February numbers since February of 2017,” said Magnus Koeck, vice president of strategy, marketing and brand management at Volvo Trucks North America. “Being a short month, February is normally one of the softest months of the year, but these numbers are lower than we are used to seeing. It is clear that carriers are still operating in a challenging environment.”
Image
Koeck pointed to soft freight demand, low rates and continued pressure on profitability for keeping retail activity muted for now. But he also expressed optimism over the strong order activity the last three months. His data even shows this was the strongest ever February for orders.
“Even though these numbers don’t align with broader market sentiment, there’s reason to be optimistic for gradual improvement in retail activity as we move through 2026,” Koeck said. “We expect the first two quarters to remain relatively slow but anticipate the second half of the year will show stronger momentum. As a 100% U.S. manufacturer, Volvo Trucks is in a robust position to support our customers with our new Volvo VNL and the regional-haul Volvo VNR.”
Image
“January and February truck sales reflect the typically soft start to the year,” said David Carson, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Daimler Truck North America. “As fleets worked through the tariff and regulatory uncertainty that shaped 2025, many chose to delay orders that would normally support early-year production. Even so, we saw order activity strengthen toward the end of 2025 and into early 2026 as regulatory clarity and freight conditions began to improve.”
Carson added, “Our focus remains on manufacturing products that deliver the efficiency and reliability customers need to manage costs in any market environment.”
Omdia also reported year‑to‑date sales of 25,279 units, down 20.9% from 31,948 at this point in 2025, reinforcing the caution with which economists and fleets are approaching 2026.
