by Risk calculated on 03/03/2023 08:57:00
The BEA published its estimate of vehicle sales for February yesterday.
This chart shows truck sales since 1967 using BEA data. The dotted line is the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) for February 2023.
Heavy truck sales really crashed during the Great Recession, dropping to a low of 180,000 SAAR in May 2009. Afterwards, heavy truck sales increased to a new all-time high of 570,000 SAAR in April 2019.
Click on the graphic to enlarge the image.
Note: “Heavy-duty trucks – trucks over 14,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.”
Heavy-duty truck sales were 450,000 SAAR in February, down from 503,000 in January, and essentially unchanged from 451,000 SAAR in February 2022.
Usually, heavy truck sales decline sharply before a recession. Sales were strong in February.