U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vehicle Technologies Program

Fact #229: August 12, 2002
Medium and Heavy Truck Sales

The sales for medium and heavy trucks vary considerably from year to year. The graph shows calendar year sales of trucks in classes 3 through 8. Sales of class 3 trucks almost doubled from 1997 to 1998. Class 8 truck sales have declined for the past two years.

Sales of Class 3-8 Trucks, 1986-2001
Graph: Sales of Class 3-8 Trucks, 1986-2001

The 1997 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) indicates that class 8 trucks account for more than three-quarters of the fuel used by class 3-8 trucks.

Share of Fuel Used by Class 3-8 Trucks, 1997 VIUS
  Class 3
10,001-
14,000 lb		 Class 4
14,001-
16,000 lb		 Class 5
16,001-
19,500 lb		 Class 6
19,501-
26,000 lb		 Class 7
26,001-
33,000 lb		 Class 8
33,001 lb
and over		 Total
Share of fuel use 3.4% 1.4% 0.5% 14.0% 4.8% 76.0% 100.0%

Sources: Sales: Ward's Motor Vehicle Facts and Figures 2001, and previous annual editions.
Fuel use: Bureau of the Census, 1997 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey, Public Use File on CD, 2000.

Supporting Information

Sales of New Trucks, Class 3-8, 1986-2001(thousands)
Year Class 3
10,001-
14,000 lb		 Class 4
14,001-
16,000 lb		 Class 5
16,001-
19,500 lb		 Class 6
19,501-
26,000 lb		 Class 7
26,001-
33,000 lb		 Class 8
33,001 lb
and over
1986 12 N/A 6 45 101 113
1987 14 2 8 44 103 131
1988 14 21 8 54 103 148
1989 19 27 7 39 93 145
1990 21 27 5 38 85 121
1991 21 24 3 22 73 99
1992 26 26 4 28 73 119
1993 27 33 4 27 81 158
1994 35 44 4 20 98 186
1995 40 53 4 23 107 201
1996 52 59 7 19 104 170
1997 53 57 9 18 114 179
1998 102 43 25 32 115 209
1999 122 49 30 48 131 262
2000 117 47 29 51 123 212
2001 102 52 24 42 92 140

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