by Calculated Risk on 3/24/2017 11:52:00 AM

The following graph shows heavy truck sales since 1967 using data from the BEA. The dashed line is the February 2017 seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR).

Heavy truck sales really collapsed during the great recession, falling to a low of 181 thousand in April and May 2009, on a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis (SAAR). Then sales increased more than 2 1/2 times, and hit 479 thousand SAAR in June 2015.

Heavy truck sales declined again - probably mostly due to the weakness in the oil sector - and bottomed at 352 thousand SAAR in October of last year.


Click on graph for larger image.

With the increase in oil prices over the last year, heavy truck sales have been increasing too.

Heavy truck sales were at 400 thousand SAAR in February 2017.