New registrations for commercial trucks were up nearly 10 percent for the first nine months of the year compared to 2009.


According to Polk's quarterly Commercial Vehicle Market Intelligence Report, commercial new vehicle registrations for Class 3 through Class 8 vehicles were 269,650 units for the first nine months of 2010, up 9.6 percent over the same period last year. The company projects new registration for the 2010 calendar year will end up at around 360,000 units, up 10.2 percent from 2009.

Leading the increase was significant improvement in Class 3 and Class 6 new registrations. Class 3 registrations were up 18 percent in the first nine months compared to the same period last year, driven by Ford's increase of 37 percent. Class 6 registrations were up 12.6 percent, led by International's increase of 62.1 percent. Class 8 registrations were up as well, 9.6 percent.

On a regional basis, the Central and Northeast regions saw the best performance compared to last year. The Central region was up 17.3 percent, the Northeast 10.8 percent. The West region, however, was essentially flat in the number of new registrations for the first nine months compared to 2009.

"While the year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter improvements are both signs of a strengthening commercial vehicle market, this increase is still in relation to the lowest commercial vehicle market in recent times," cautions the report.

Both very small fleets and very large fleets have driven the improvement in the commercial vehicle market, Polk said. New registrations of fleets operating five vehicles or less were up 12.4 percent over the same period in 2009. Large fleets, with registrations of 500-plus units, were up 14.7 percent. The small fleets accounted for nearly 33 percent of total new commercial vehicle registrations for the first nine months of the year; 500-plus fleets accounted for 33.6 percent.

When it comes to engines, Polk said, the fuel of choice remains diesel, with 80 percent of all Class 3-8 new vehicle registrations powered by a diesel engine. The largest growth in diesel engine penetration has been in Class 6 vehicles. Since the decision by GM to get out of the medium-duty business and the increased penetration of International into this segment, diesel engines now make up nearly 85 percent of new registrations in Class 6. However, Class 4 and 5 vehicles have seen an increase in gasoline engines, thanks to an increase in gasoline penetration by Ford, the dominant brand in this segment.