by Calculated Risk on 4/04/2018 03:28:00 PM

The following graph shows heavy truck sales since 1967 using data from the BEA. The dashed line is the March 2018 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 480 thousand SAAR in June 2015.

Heavy truck sales declined again - probably mostly due to the weakness in the oil sector - and bottomed at 364 thousand SAAR in October 2016.


Click on graph for larger image.

With the increase in oil prices over the last year, heavy truck sales increased too.

Heavy truck sales were at 455 thousand SAAR in March, down from 475 thousand in February, and up from 391 thousand in March 2017.