Used-truck sales spiked in December as fleet owners took advantage of favorable deals ahead of continued price hikes while benefiting from improved spot rates.
Same-dealer retail sales for used Class 8 trucks rose 23% month over month and 24% year over year in December, according to a Jan. 15 report by ACT Research. That followed a 1% MoM decrease and a 24% YoY increase in November.
The used-truck market “undoubtedly outperformed typical seasonality” last month, “which called for an increase of 8% [MoM],” ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam stated in the report. Auction sales drove the surge, rising 47% MoM, he said.
Meanwhile, used Class 8 retail prices jumped 4% MoM, but fell 4% YoY, according to the report. Further hinting that the used market has stabilized, used commercial truck prices were up 1.8% MoM to roughly $45,300 as of Jan. 20, according to Equipment Finance News’ Average Pricing of Commercial Trucks and Trailers by Condition dataset.
Average Pricing of Commercial Trucks & Trailers by Condition
The recent sales surge can be attributed to “buyers trying to time their purchases ahead of impending value increases,” Tam stated.
Higher spot rates, emissions standards support growth
Spot rates for reefer trucks, flatbeds and dry vans rose 3.5% YoY, 2.1% YoY and 4.2% YoY, respectively, in December, according to ACT. Higher spot rates should bolster the used-truck market’s ongoing recovery as fleet owners see more opportunities to increase profits, Dan McDonough, president and chief executive at Charlotte, N.C.-based Commercial Credit Group, told Equipment Finance News. The company finances commercial vehicles and heavy equipment.
“Near term, what’s going to drive used-equipment prices is going to be a function of freight demand,” he said. “We are seeing spot rates on load boards look really good over the last month. … So, that’s a big deal.”
The Environmental Protection Agency’s 2027 emissions rule for commercial vehicles, which will require manufacturers to make and sell more zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV), could also drive up used-truck sales as older trucks become more valuable, McDonough said.
“As we get closer and closer to the 2027 rollout of the [ZEV] engines, all of a sudden there’s going to be this ‘Aha’ moment that we want the old technology, not the new technology,” he said. “And these used trucks are going to be very valuable about a year from now.”
Notably, President Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate or reduce emissions regulations, potentially altering the course of ZEVs in the commercial trucking industry.
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