Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Earnings Watch: Daimler Doubles First Quarter Profit

Earnings for German truck and auto maker Daimler AG doubled in the first quarter of the year, despite lower sales of its trucks.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
April 26, 2017
Earnings Watch: Daimler Doubles First Quarter Profit

 

2 min to read


Earnings for German truck and auto maker Daimler AG doubled in the first quarter of the year, despite lower sales of its trucks.

Net income for the parent of Freightliner, Western Star and Mercedes-Benz totaled 2.70 billion euros ($2.96 billion) from 1.35 billion euros the same time a year ago, according to MarketWatch. That performance was driven by sharply higher Mercedes-Benz sales of SUVs and E-class models. At Daimler Financial Services, earnings grew significantly mainly as a result of increased contract volume, according to the company.

Ad Loading...

Revenue rose 11% to 38.8 billion euros as unit sales rose 10% to 754,259 cars, trucks, vans and buses.

This followed the company unexpectedly reporting on Tuesday that earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) jumped 87.1% in the first quarter from a year earlier, totaling $4.01 billion euros, or $4.25 billion.

In the first quarter of this year, sales by Daimler Trucks of 94,000 vehicles were 11% lower than in the prior-year period. Unit sales increased compared with the prior-year period in Europe by 12%. However, in North America, sales dropped significantly to 32,900 units compared to 40,400 a year earlier. In Latin America, Daimler Trucks increased its sales marginally to 6,300 while sales in Brazil decreased 15% to 2,400 units due to the country’s difficult economic situation. But there was strong growth in unit sales in Argentina, up 114%. In Asia, sales were lower than in the prior-year quarter as unit sales decreased in the Middle East by 30%.

Ad Loading...

The division’s revenue amounted to 7.9 billion euros, down from 8.2 billion euros a year earlier while EBIT of 668 million euros was higher than the prior-year figure of 516 million euros.

Daimler expects a continuation of the cyclical market slow-down when it comes to demand for trucks in North America.

“An overall decrease in the magnitude of 5% is to be expected in classes 6-8, and an even more substantial weakening of demand is anticipated in the segment of heavy-duty trucks (Class 8),” the company said. “Nonetheless, it is assumed that the market will gradually stabilize as the year progresses.”

Overall, Daimler Trucks said it assumes that its total unit sales in 2017 will be in the magnitude of the previous year, including when it comes to unit sales in North America.

More Fleet Management

Illustration of computer screen with Trimble Arc Agent screen
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeAugust 14, 2026

Trimble’s New AI Agent Takes Aim at Fleet Back-Office Busywork

Arc Agent works across Trimble TMS products to automate repetitive tasks such as freight orders, maintenance, invoices, fuel costs and more.

Read More →
Photos of three men and two women with HDT Truck Fleet Innovators 2026 logo
Fleet ManagementCover Storyby Deborah LockridgeAugust 13, 2026

How HDT’s 2026 Truck Fleet Innovators Are Rethinking Fleet Operations

Meet five trucking leaders who are challenging assumptions, solving operational problems, and putting innovative ideas to work.

Read More →
Graph showing how contract rates and spot rates converged in July
Fleet Managementby StaffAugust 12, 2026

Tight Trucking Capacity Pushes Rates Higher Even as Freight Volumes Fall

“Spot rates moving ahead of contract rates have historically signaled a tightening market, but we haven’t seen a capacity-driven market quite like this one,” said DAT's Dean Croke.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Line graph showing container import volumes
Fleet Managementby StaffAugust 7, 2026

Import Cargo’s Early Peak Season is Winding Down

There was an early start to peak season this year at the nation's gateway ports, as retailers brought in merchandise ahead of tariff changes in late July and responded to other supply chain uncertainties,

Read More →
Blue infographic with graphs illustrating cargo theft trends in the second quarter of 2026
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeAugust 6, 2026

Fewer Cargo Thefts, Bigger Losses: Criminals Target Higher-Value Loads

CargoNet says organized theft rings are stealing fewer shipments but choosing more valuable freight, including metals and technology, resulting in record losses.

Read More →
Illustration of a chalkboard with a hand drawing an arrow curving away from a partially erased straight arrow with the words "Embracing Change," the Heavy Duty Trucking Logo and the "cover feature" graphic.
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeAugust 1, 2026

How Innovative Trucking Leaders Turn Change Into an Advantage

As the pace of change accelerates in trucking, the fleets that adapt best have more than the latest technology. They have cultures that embrace improvement.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Illustration of past due invoices with red X on top with background of a truck at a loading dock
Fleet ManagementJuly 27, 2026

Freight Broker Bonds Just Got Harder to Get. Here's What That Means for Your Fleet.

When it gets harder for a freight broker to prove they are financially sound, the ones who cannot clear that bar get pushed out of the market. And those are exactly the brokers who used to leave motor carriers holding the bag.

Read More →
Photo of cable bridge crossing Detroit River
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeJuly 23, 2026

Long-Awaited Canadian Border Bridge to Open in Detroit

For trucking, the bridge opening should offer immediate improvements in efficiency and reliability, with new customs facilities, expanded inspection capacity, and direct freeway-to-freeway connections.

Read More →
Blue International heavy-duty truck with Aurora driverless truck software coming head-on on an interstate highway
Equipmentby Deborah LockridgeJuly 22, 2026

Aurora Rolls Out Next Generation of Driverless Trucks for Commercial Freight

Aurora's latest autonomous trucks it's rolling out with International feature lower-cost hardware designed for a million miles as the company expands commercial driverless freight operations across the U.S. Sun Belt.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
American Trucking Associations for-hire tonnage graph
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeJuly 21, 2026

Freight Tonnage Down, Rates up, as Lower Capacity Powers Trucking Recovery

The recovery from the freight recession continues to be driven by reduction in capacity rather than by increased demand.

Read More →