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October 27, 2005 11:00 AM, EDT

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.S. monthly retail sales of Class 8 trucks rose by 16.3% over last September’s level to 21,677 units, the 23rd straight monthly increase on a year-over-year basis.

For the first nine months of 2005, Class 8 truck sales now total 186,439 units, a 29.4% increase from 2004’s level, according to data provided by Ward’s Communications. However, several industry analysts said the latest figure, which was not as strong as recent months’, shows there may be some softening in the demand for heavy-duty trucks.

Ken Vieth, an analyst with ACT Research, said demand may have softened because trucking companies are not looking to expand their capacity as they were earlier in the year when the economy was growing at a faster pace.

For the full story, see the Oct. 24 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.