This graph shows heavy truck sales since 1967 using data from the BEA. The dashed line is the February 2025 seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) of 460 thousand.
Heavy truck sales really collapsed during the great recession, falling to a low of 180 thousand SAAR in May 2009. Then heavy truck sales increased to a new record high of 570 thousand SAAR in April 2019.
Click on graph for larger image.
Note: “Heavy trucks – trucks more than 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.”
Heavy truck sales declined sharply at the beginning of the pandemic, falling to a low of 288 thousand SAAR in May 2020.
Heavy truck sales were at 460 thousand SAAR in February, down from 491 thousand in January, and down 9.3% from 508 thousand SAAR in February 2025.
Usually, heavy truck sales decline sharply prior to a recession. Currently heavy truck sales are somewhat solid.
As I mentioned yesterday, light vehicle sales increased in February to 16.00 million SAAR.
The second graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967.
Light vehicle sales were at 16.00 million SAAR in February, up 2.5% from January, and up 2.1% from February 2024.
