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January 12, 2000 10:42 AM, EST

Sales of Class 8 tractors blazed a record-setting pace through 1999, and a series of foreign mergers and deals changed the landscape of the truck-making industry.

	Looking back
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The stage was set for a record year in truck sales from the very first month when 16,526 Class 8s were sold — up 26% from January 1998.

Final figures for 1999 will not be unavailable for another week, but sales through November totaled 238,489 and even a modest December — by 1999 standards — should push the year-end total to 260,000. The previous record, set in 1998, was 209,483 vehicles.

Freightliner, Portland, Ore., held the greatest share of the Class 8 market with sales through November of 77,292, more than 32% of the big trucks sold. Its sibling, Sterling, posted sales of 13,019 through November in its first full year of operation.

For the full story, see the Jan. 10 print edition of Transport Topics. .