Class 8 Sales Hit 17-Yr. Low

U.S. trucking customers bought just 7,374 new Class 8 tractors in January, the lowest one-month total in 17 years and a drop of more than 5,000 units from December, WardsAuto.com reported.

Sales declined

"These sales numbers are bad, worse than our expectations by more than 1,000, and tell us we're in a tough environment for both equipment manufacturers and carriers," Eric Starks, president of the research and consulting firm FTR Associates, Nashville, Ind., told TRANSPORT TOPICS.

"Sales will be as bad or worse in the next few months, and we were already forecasting an ugly 2009 before these numbers came out, at just 101,000 Class 8 sales for the entire year," Starks added.

Last year, manufacturers sold 133,473 Class 8s in the United States, according to Ward's.