The Truck Industry Council (TIC) predicts that 2023 will set a new record for truck sales in a year.
At the close of November 2023, new truck sales for the eleven months year-to-date stood at 43,646, a new record for truck sales to the end of November.
With December sales averaging out at about 3,400 trucks, the TIC says it is confident that in a month’s time, we will have a new annual milestone for Australia.
Even applying the worst numbers from December 2009, sales would still see a 2,498 truck increase, still comfortably exceeding the current record.
Heavy duty trucks
Heavy duty trucks saw 1,607 units delivered for the month, up 5.8 percent from November 2022, eclipsing another new sales record for the eleventh month of the year.
Year-to-date the result is even stronger, with Heavy sales tracking up 17.3 percent over those of the same period last year, with total Heavy truck sales to the end of November reaching 15,817.
The sales gap has now stretched to over 2,332 more heavy trucks sold year-to-date than in the whole of 2022, with only 14,966 sales last year.
Medium duty trucks
November 2023 has seen sales up 15.1 percent (99 trucks) over the same month last year, with 755 medium duty trucks sold.
7,280 medium trucks have been delivered to year-to-date, 458 sales ahead of the year-to-date result in 2022. This is a gain of 6.7 percent over the same period last year.
Light duty truck
With tumultuous month-to-month sales, November light duty truck sales were down 12.3 percent (-182 trucks) over the corresponding month last year.
1,294 light trucks were delivered in November, bringing the year-to-date sales tally in 2023 to 14,979. This is just 0.1 per cent, or 12 trucks, behind the same period last year.
Victory could still be achieved, after the inclusion of the upcoming December sales.
Light duty van
Following poor sales results in 2022 after being smashed by supply chain issues, 2023 light duty van sales are expected to exceed last year.
568 vans were sold in November, down slightly, 2.4 percent (-14 vans), over the November 2022 result.
Year-to-date however, the numbers are looking much better for the van segment with a total of 5,570 vans delivered to the end of November 2023, up 12.1 percent (601 vans).
TIC’s CEO Tony McMullan says, “It is pleasing to see the solid sales continue through November, particularly in the Heavy Duty truck segment.”
“Year-to-date we are only 734 trucks shy of an all-time new truck sales record here in Australia and with average December sales in the order of 3,400 trucks, it very much appears that a new record beckons come the 31st of December.
“With the average age of trucks breaking the 15 year mark in 2021 and with Australia having one of the oldest truck fleets in the Western world, the record sales of last year and pending record sales this year, could not be more important.
“An old truck fleet is not good for road safety, nor noxious and greenhouse emissions, or for operator productivity. Renewal of our truck fleet can make a significant impact in addressing these safety, environmental and productivity issues.
“However, we need record, or near record, sales to continue for years to come in order to reverse the fleet aging trend that has been apparent in our market for over a decade now. Reducing the national truck fleet age will bring benefits for all road users.”