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A 2020 Kenworth T680 Sleeper truck for sale. The average retail price for a used Class 8 truck in October dipped 1% year over year. (Prime Truck Sales)

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Used Class 8 truck sales increased from the prior year for the fifth consecutive month in October due to an expected seasonal bump.

reported sales increased 3.8% to 24,700 units from 23,800 in the 2024 period and 9.3% from 22,600 in September. The average retail sale price dipped 1% to $55,222 from $55,800 in the prior-year period and 3.8% sequentially from $57,383. Average mileage decreased 1% to 410,000 from 414,000 a year ago but was flat compared with September.

“October is typically the third-best sales month of the year, running nearly 8% above average,” said Steve Tam, vice president at ACT Research. “Surprisingly, the October auction market maintained some of September’s vigor. Auction volumes advanced 19% [month to month] in October. Dealers also built on September’s momentum. The wholesale channel added 2.5% [month to month]. Combined, total market same-dealer sales volumes rose 5.2%.”

reported a strong start to the fourth quarter in terms of financing used truck sales, with indications that momentum could continue into the first quarter. But that activity is still below where it was relative to the previous year.

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“October and November were good months for us,” said Charles Smith, regional business development and marketing manager at Mission Financial Services. “We did see the used truck market trend upward. It was a good October. Year over year, we’re down a couple of percentages, but considering the circumstances, it still was a good month for us.”

Smith pointed to lower used truck prices as a reason and hopes more pent-up demand can continue to drive sales into the first quarter. He said he’s heard renewed interest from truck dealers around the country.

RELATED: Class 8 retail sales slide in October

“We see it a lot, and we hear it a lot,” Smith said. “With me being on the road speaking to dealers all across the United States, I’m kind of hearing the same thing. They’re getting the traffic, but people are a little hesitant to purchase. But there are some that say, ‘I’m going to jump in and get the truck while the price is good, and I’ll deal with everything else later.’ ”

[November Used Truck Sales Summary with ACT Research & in the November Star Carrier publication here: , , , — ACT Research (@actresearch)

But Smith still hasn’t seen any indications that this is driving a more fundamental change in activity, though he is optimistic the momentum will carry over.

“I would rather for the momentum to keep going upward, as opposed to, we’re having a lateral movement to where it’s not growing anywhere,” Smith said. “Typically it’s slow at the beginning of the year. But, again, we’re hopeful to see that there’s growth in that first quarter going into the second quarter of 2026.”

J.D. Power noted in a report that sale prices in October auctions averaged 1.6% higher than the previous year, based on its benchmark used truck being 4 to 6 years old. The price for this example truck, however, also was 5.5% lower than September.

“Compared to the strong pre-pandemic market of 2018, current nominal pricing is 4.5% lower but down 25.7% in real numbers,” the report stated. “Relative to the last market low in late 2019, prices are 52.8% higher nominally and 21% higher when adjusted for inflation. Monthly depreciation for this group is averaging 2.2%. Late-model sleepers with average mileage continue to depreciate at a historically typical rate.”

J.D. Power also highlighted that lower-mileage trucks remain scarce and continue to bring premium value at auction and retail. This limited volume of trucks sold each month, the report warned, resulted in swings in the raw data averages that are not necessarily reflective of actual market movement.

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