From Staff & Wire Reports

U.S. retail sales of Class 7 and 8 trucks jumped 42.8 percent in February 2004 from the year prior, even as truck tonnage dropped 2.2 percent for that month, according to reports.

Class 8 power unit sales through the first two months of 2005 jumped 52 percent vs. the same period in 2004, and Class 4 to 8 sales combined increased 25 percent compared to January-February 2004.

Industry analysts expect Class 8 tractor sales in 2005 to remain above final results for 2004. Total industry sales of 17,184 for the month of February were the highest total reported since 2000.

Meanwhile, the American Trucking Associations reported that freight tonnage dropped off 2.2 percent for the month of February. Even with the mild drop vs. January 2005, the February results showed an increase of 3.9 percent compared to February 2004.

But, ATA said, that decline came on the heels of a hot January when freight tonnage increased some 5 percent over December 2004, the largest month-to-month increase in “several years.”

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