ACT research says prices for used Class 8 trucks are up 4 percent in October

Data from ACT Research, a provider of data and analysis for trucks and other commercial vehicles, indicates that the average retail sales price of Class 8 used vehicles sold in October was up 4 percent from September.

September retail prices were up 3 percent from August, according to ACT data.

In the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, ACT also reported that the average price for the units sold increased 4 percent month-over-month as buyers focused on the limited supply of low mileage vehicles available, according to company officials.

“Tighter supplies of equipment of all sizes continue to be a boon for selling prices,” said Steve Tam, vice president-commercial vehicle sector with ACT, in a statement. “With the focus on late-model equipment, the average miles for Class 8 units sold were down 13 percent month-over-month and 14 percent compared to October of 2009,” added Tam.

In a recent interview with LM, Steve Tam, vice president-commercial sector at ACT, said that as available truck capacity continues to tighten on a sequential basis, freight hauling capacity is modeled by ACT as what he described as an active population, which examines the current state of freight hauling capacity.

“We think that pretty much all of the vehicles that are in operation on the Class 8 side hit a ‘balance point’ in the middle of the second quarter and beginning of the third quarter,” said Tam. “We don’t think there is much, if any, excess freight hauling capacity…out there right now.”

Even with a lack of capacity, Tam said that does not mean the trucking industry is using 100 percent of its available fleet. He added that 100 percent capacity utilization is not an ideal situation for shippers and carriers, as trucks need maintenance and re-positioning.
According to ACT estimates, total active Class 8 utilization at the moment is in the low-to-mid 90 percent range, which is the ideal amount for full utilization on an ongoing basis. It the economy was doing better, Tam said this rate could be bumped up a few percentage points.