Heavy Truck Sales Drop 17% in February, But Up 6% From January

Class 8 heavy truck sales fell 17.4% year-over-year in February 2026, but rose 5.7% from January, according to Omdia Automotive data. Gradual recovery or tough year ahead for the industry?

📊 Cold February for Truck Sales

Class 8 heavy-duty truck sales in the United States fell 17.4% year-over-year in February 2026, with 12,992 units sold compared to 15,725 units in February 2025, according to Omdia Automotive data.

However, there's a bright spot: sales rose 5.7% from January 2026, when 12,287 units were sold. This suggests the market may be stabilizing after a very strong 2025 that left inventories high.

💡 What's Happening?

The year-over-year decline is no surprise. Key factors include:

• 📉 2025 was a record year — with the nearshoring boom and post-pandemic recovery, many fleets bought inventory in 2024-2025
• 💰 Interest rates — although down vs 2024, still elevated (prime rate ~6.75%), making financing more expensive
• 🚛 High inventory — many fleets have trucks <3 years old that don't need replacing yet
• 🌍 Economic uncertainty — tariffs, US-China trade war, Middle East tensions

But the +5.7% January→February rebound suggests demand remains active, just moderated vs the 2025 boom.

🏭 Most Affected Manufacturers

Although Omdia doesn't break down by brand, industry analysts estimate that Freightliner (Daimler Truck) continues to lead the market with ~38-40% share, followed by Paccar (Kenworth/Peterbilt) with ~28-30%, and Navistar International with ~15-17%.

Volvo Trucks and Mack (both from Volvo Group) combined have ~12-14%. Electric and hydrogen models still represent <2% of the total market.

🔧 Buying New or Used? Check This First

Whether you're buying a new 2026 or a 2023-2024 used truck with low miles, don't assume it comes perfect. We've seen trucks with 0 miles that aren't aligned from the factory or have minor suspension/steering issues that go unnoticed until they enter service.

Recommendation: before hitting the road, take the truck to a road simulator to detect issues in suspension, brakes, steering, and 100+ inspection points. Then run it through a professional alignment computer to ensure everything is within spec.

At The Truck Savers™ (Houston and Monterrey), we offer free inspection with our road simulator and alignment with our state-of-the-art alignment computer. This can save you thousands in prematurely worn tires or major problems on the road.

👉 Schedule your free inspection: thetrucksavers.com

📈 2026 Outlook

ACT Research projects total class 8 truck sales in 2026 between 250,000-270,000 units, compared to ~290,000 in 2025. A drop of ~7-14%, but not a collapse. The market remains solid, just normalizing after the boom.

The next few months will be key: if March and April maintain February's rebound, we could be seeing the cycle's floor.