by Calculated Risk on 4/02/2025 01:16:00 PM
This graph shows heavy truck sales since 1967 using data from the BEA. The dashed line is the March 2025 seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) of 403 thousand.
Heavy truck sales really collapsed during the great recession, falling to a low of 180 thousand SAAR in May 2009. Then heavy truck sales increased to a new record high of 570 thousand SAAR in April 2019.
Note: “Heavy trucks – trucks more than 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.”
Heavy truck sales were at 403 thousand SAAR in March, down from 436 thousand in February, and down 12.1% from 459 thousand SAAR in February 2025.
Year-to-date (NSA) sales are down 10.1%.
Usually, heavy truck sales decline sharply prior to a recession. Perhaps heavy truck sales will be revised up, but this was somewhat weak.
Light vehicle sales were at 17.77 million SAAR in March, up 11.0% from February, and up 13.3% from March 2024.