A DaimlerChrysler AG board member responsible for commercial vehicles said he expects the current slowdown in the U.S. heavy truck market to continue up to 2002.

According to Reuters, DaimlerChrysler's Dieter Zetsche said new orders for the first eight months of this year have "reached a low we have not seen before."
After DaimlerChrysler wraps up its deal with Mitsubishi Motors, it intends to discuss its truck joint venture with the Japanese counterpart, he added.
Zetsche said Mitsubishi would also have to "sort out" its commercial vehicles cooperation with AB Volvo trucks, and that DaimlerChrysler will "respect" Mitsubishi’s agreement with Volvo.
Meanwhile, retailers in northern Alberta, Canada, seem to have been spared the brunt of the drop-off in new truck purchases.
According to the Edmonton Sun, sales for Western Sterling in Edmonton have tapered off this year compared to the past couple of years, but the drop hasn’t been that severe.
Cuts made by heavy- and medium-duty truck manufacturers in the U.S. have been driven by declining sales, but the province doesn’t seem to have been hit as hard as the rest of the continent, said the article.