Used Truck Sales Increase for Third Straight Month in August
ACT Research Reports 3.5% Rise to 23,600 Units
Key Takeaways:
- Same-dealer used retail truck sales increased for the first time in five months, according to ACT Research.
- The average retail sale price dipped 0.8% to $57,863 from $58,308 year over year.
- Most analysts predict a subdued holiday shipping season and continued offloading of excess trucks in service, says J.D. Power's Chris Visser.
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Used Class 8 truck sales increased year over year for the third consecutive month in August. ACT Research reported a rise of 3.5% to 23,600 units from 22,800 in the 2024 period.
Month to month, results were flat compared with July’s volume but did increase 11% on a seasonally adjusted basis. The average retail sale price decreased 0.8% to $57,863 from $58,308 in the prior-year period and slipped 7.1% sequentially from $62,254 in July. Average mileage dropped 0.5% to 416,000 from 418,000 a year ago. This, too, was flat from the previous month.
“The 11% [month-to-month] gain was better than expected on a seasonally adjusted basis,” Vice President Steve Tam said. “The auction market turned in a respectable performance that was counter to its expected decline. Auction volumes floated 3.4% higher m/m [month to month] in August. The wholesale channel saw its largest sequential gain since February 2024 in August, adding 35% m/m. Combined, total market same dealer sales volumes climbed 11% m/m.”
ACT Research also found that same-dealer used retail truck sales increased for the first time in five months. Tam pointed out that it’s typically the second-best sales month of the year, usually running more than 8% above average.
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“Even though summer does not officially end until late September, used truck sales typically exit the summer (and spring) doldrums in August,” Tam said. “Clearly, August did not disappoint this year, at least from a unit volume perspective. Industry participants should interpret this as a positive sign, especially in light of all the noise in the economy and commercial vehicle market these days.”
J.D. Power noted in a report that pricing decreased in the auction and retail channels during August. The report also showed that retail sales volume continues to trend higher when compared with the prior year. The selling price for the 4- to 6-year-old benchmark truck averaged 0.4% lower at auctions when compared with last year. It also was 4.6% less sequentially.
[September State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks Update] - Used Truck Sales Increased in August
Read more from the September update here: — ACT Research (@actresearch)
“Looking forward, most analysts predict a subdued holiday shipping season and continued offloading of excess trucks in service,” Chris Visser, director of specialty vehicles at J.D. Power, wrote in the report. “The market is absorbing this unneeded capacity without extreme depreciation. Conditions are not predicted to change appreciably until the second half of 2026, as the number of trucks in service becomes more proportional to the volume of freight available.”
RELATED:Class 8 Truck Prices Set to Climb Again Under New Tariffs
The report also found that retail sleeper pricing declined for the second consecutive month. Retail volume, however, remained consistent from the prior month and appear to be stabilizing. Its dataset of sold sleeper tractors averaged 56 months old and 431,028 miles when looking at the overall mix of trucks retailed in August. In July, the same group was 2 months older and had 0.3% fewer miles.
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