Amid the talk of inflation, doom and gloom, plus major concerns about the economy, the trucking industry doesn’t seem to have noticed any issues, investing in as much capital equipment as possible, and when it comes to truck sales, we are going gangbusters.
The latest truck sales figures for the month of September have been released by the Truck Industry Council and the prospect of a new set of record sales figures look inevitable for 2022. Overall, in the first three quarters, 9,642 trucks were sold, compared to 7,300 at the same point last year and 6,526 five years ago.
This graph shows the situation at the top end of the market, with five heavy duty brands selling over 100 trucks last month. The sheer scale of the demand is putting all of the major truck manufacturers under pressure to supply the burgeoning demand.
Those who manufacture trucks here are pushing the limits of their production capacity, while those importing trucks are still struggling with supply chains which have been suffering shortfalls during the pandemic. It is difficult to gauge just how many trucks would have been sold last month, if there hadn’t been these limitations on supply numbers.
In this high demand market, the usual suspects are doing well, Kenworth, Volvo and Isuzu are one, two and three. However the other two brands selling over 100 do not often get to these heights, during normal times, UD Trucks and Scania.
With demand being so high, those able to get trucks on the ground, in the country, are able to seize the opportunity to supply trucks to a thriving market. This is unfamiliar territory for the UD brand, with the integration of the Volvo Group driveline and electronics into the range being well received by the market.
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