Used‑truck demand uptick
- Retail used Class‑8 truck volumes rose to a five‑year high in March as buyer activity recovered. - J.D. Power measured sales at roughly 1.2 units per rooftop while pricing remained broadly stable. - At the same time, Ohio Turnpike enforcement found 315 trucking companies owing at least $5,000 in unpaid tolls, signalling uneven operator discipline. (truckpartsandservice.com) (overdriveonline.com)
Retail buyers snapped up used heavy trucks in March at the strongest pace in nearly five years, a sign that demand has started to recover even as freight remains uneven. (truckpartsandservice.com) J.D. Power said retail used Class 8 sales rose by 1.2 trucks per dealership rooftop from February, were up 2.1 trucks from March 2025, and stood 1.7 trucks higher year to date than in 2025. Retail prices rose 0.8% from February and 0.7% year to date, while monthly depreciation held at 2.0%. (truckpartsandservice.com) The wholesale market was steadier. J.D. Power said wholesale sales per rooftop edged up 0.1 truck from February but were down 0.2 truck from a year earlier, while wholesale prices rose 3.5% month over month and were down 2.8% from March 2025. (truckpartsandservice.com) ACT Research reported a similar pattern in separate March data. It said same-dealer used Class 8 retail sales rose 9.1% from February, below the roughly 12% seasonal increase it expected, and called March the second-best month for retail sales since November 2021. (fleetequipmentmag.com (actresearch.net)) That matters for fleets that buy secondhand tractors instead of ordering new ones. Stable prices alongside higher sales usually mean dealers are moving inventory without cutting hard, and J.D. Power said the mix pointed to stronger buyer confidence rather than a one-month distortion. (truckpartsandservice.com) But the operating picture is still split. The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission said on April 20 that 315 trucking companies in 26 states each owed at least $5,000 in unpaid tolls, with total collections due of $5.2 million. (ohioturnpike.org) The commission said its list included one carrier with more than $150,000 in unpaid tolls, and it said it can suspend vehicle registrations through state Bureau of Motor Vehicles partnerships when debts go unpaid. Cleveland.com reported the highest balance at about $155,000. (overdriveonline.com) (cleveland.com) Ohio Turnpike officials tied the enforcement push to repeat evasion, including trucks that use E-ZPass lanes without a valid transponder or plate match. The agency said unpaid tolls reduce money available for road maintenance, snow removal, and debt service on turnpike bonds. (ohioturnpike.org) So April’s picture in trucking is two tracks at once: buyers are returning to the used-truck lots, while toll authorities are still chasing a long list of carriers that have not kept up with basic bills. (truckpartsandservice.com) (ohioturnpike.org)
