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2011 truck orders rebounding say dealers, manufacturers

NEW YORK — As the economy creeps back and truck tonnage rises, U.S. orders for heavy-duty trucks are on the rebound, according to manufacturers and dealers. Class 8 OEMs and dealers say sales of heavy-duty rigs so far this year have soared after a perfect storm of a plummeting construction market, decreased consumer spending and more stringent emissions rules.

While new purchases have picked back up, truckers are choosing to purchase fewer add-ons and making more budget-minded buying decisions.

Kyle Treadway, chairman of the American Truck Dealers (ATD) division of the National Automobile Dealers Association and president of Kenworth Sales Co., said that among heavy-duty truck dealers, year-on-year sales are up together with manufacturers' beefed-up hiring and production schedules.

Treadway said his heavy-duty trucks sales this year topped his expectations, the last 45 days having brought a particular surge in demand. "Right now we have twice as many trucks on order as we did last year," he said, but added that his full-year forecast is for a more conservative 30 percent increase, the ATD Insider reported.

Dorothy Cox of The Trucker staff may be contacted to comment at [email protected] .

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