Heavy-Duty Vehicle 

Market Analysis

Vehicle Characteristics & Fuel Use 

Manufacturer Market Shares

May 1, 2009
Agenda

1 Executive Summary

2 Heavy Duty Trucks

3 Commercial Trailers

2

APPENDIX Data Sources & Methodology
Executive Summary
Executive Summary

 Data confirms that the HDV fleet is extremely diverse

 With respect to annual fuel use, most important vehicle is CLASS 

8 TRACTOR pulling a 40-53 ft VAN-type trailer

 Approx 67% of annual fuel use by the entire HDV fleet

 Most important target for HDV fuel efficiency regulation

 Likely that >50% of STRAIGHT TRUCKS are equipped with a 

High Level Insights

4

 Likely that >50% of STRAIGHT TRUCKS are equipped with a 

box, flat bed, or stake bed body 

 Used to haul various types of freight 

 “Vocational trucks” (dump trucks, refuse haulers, utility trucks, 

vehicle haulers, etc.) are <15% of new HDV sales

 CLASS 3 vehicles are 30% of new HDV sales, but use only about 

10% of annual fuel

 Of these smaller HDVs, most important type is PICK UP truck
Executive Summary

 Manufacturing of the most numerous and important HDVs is 

concentrated to only a few companies 

 Largest Class 8 HDVs dominated by 6, mostly U.S., “heavy 

truck” manufacturers

 Smallest HDVs (Class 3 -4) dominated by the “big 3” U.S. auto 

manufacturers

High Level Insights

5

 Both “truck” and “auto” manufacturers produce significant 

numbers of Class 6 HDVs

 Manufacturing of the most numerous types of commercial trailers 

(VANs) is dominated by only five trailer manufacturers 

 The concentration of manufacturing may make implementation of 

HDV fuel efficiency standards easier?
Executive Summary

 More than half of all in-use HDVs are registered to fleets with ten 

trucks or less

 Includes 35% which are registered to owner-operators with only 

a single truck

 Limited available data suggests that larger fleets buy a greater 

percentage of new vehicles, and that smaller fleets (<10 trucks) 

High Level Insights

6

are more likely to buy used trucks 

 These ownership patterns may make imposition of HDV fuel 

efficiency standards more difficult due to the perceived hardship 

that they would impose on small businesses

 Somewhat mitigated by buying habits?
Heavy Duty Trucks
Approximately 521,000 Class 2B trucks sold in 1999

 Approximately 6.4% of all Class 1 & 2 trucks sold

 Virtually all were pick-ups, SUVs and large vans

 82% were pick-ups

 Virtually all manufactured by Chevy, Ford, GM, or GMC

 Approximately 1/3 had diesel engines

Class 2B Trucks 

8,500 – 10,000 lb GVWR

8

 Approximately 1/3 had diesel engines

 Class 2B trucks are generally 1 ton or 3⁄4 ton “Heavy Duty” or 

“Super Duty” models

 In most cases very similar to Class 2 models from the same 

manufacturer

 May have a larger engine

 Will likely have heavy-duty springs, suspension, and 

transmission

SOURCE: Davis, S. and Truett, L., Investigation of Class 2b Trucks, Oakridge National 

Laboratory, ORNL/TM-2002/49, March 2002 


Heavy Duty Trucks 

Most Popular Class 8 Tractor Models

#1

Volvo VN Series

#2

Peterbuilt 379 

(discontinued in 2007)

Peterbuilt 389

#3

11

Freightliner Columbia

Freightliner Century

#4 International 9200

#7

Kenworth T660

#6

Kenworth W900

#8
Heavy Duty Trucks 

Example of Variety of Configurations within a Single “Model”

Freightliner Columbia 

21% market share new tractor registrations

12

Freightliner Columbia Cab Options


Heavy Duty Trucks 

Most Popular Class 3-4 Straight Truck Models

Ford E450

Class 3 Class 4

Ford F350 Ford E350 Ford F450

15

Chevy 3500

Chevy 4500 Chevy G30

GMC W Series

Isuzu NPR

Mitsubishi FE

GMC 3500

Heavy Duty Trucks 

Most Popular Class 6 Straight Truck Models

International

4300 4400

#1

FL70 M2-106

Freightliner

#2

GMC

17

Ford F650

#3

7500 8500

GMC

#4

Hino 268

#5

Sterling Acterra

#10



Heavy Duty Trucks 

Most Popular Class 8 Straight Truck Models

Kenworth T800

#2

TerraPro 

Refuse

Mack

Granite

#1

21

Sterling Acterra

#3

Intl 7400

#7 FLD

Freightliner

M2-106

#4

M2-112

#15
Summary of Manufacturer Market Shares
HDV Manufacturer Corporate Structure

 Daimler Trucks NA

 Freightliner

 Freightliner Custom Chassis

 Sterling Truck

 Western Star

 General Motors

 Chevrolet

 PACCAR

 Kenworth

 Peterbilt

 Volvo

 Volvo

 Mack

23

 Chevrolet

 GMC

 Navistar International

 International Trucks

 Workhorse Custom Chassis

 Parent

 Subsidiary
Corporate Parent HDV Market Share

CLASS 6 - 8

24

CLASS 3 - 8

Heavy Duty Trucks 

Fleet Size of In-use Trucks 

26
Heavy Duty Trucks 

Fleet Purchase Behaviour

27
Heavy Duty Trucks 

Fleet Age Distribution

28
Heavy Duty Trucks 

Estimated VMT and Fuel Use by Class/Type

29
Heavy Duty Trucks 

Estimated VMT and Fuel Use by Class/Type

30
Commercial Trailers
Commercial Trailers

Trailer Types 

VAN FLAT BED

DUMP

32

REFRIGERATED VAN

CONTAINER CHASSIS

FLAT BED DROP DECK

LOW BED TANKS
[1] Tanks hauling hazardous chemicals [2] dry bulk (i.e. cement) [3] Wood chips 
TOP 5: 74% of total market and 89% of VAN type trailers

Next 5: 10% of total market and 7% of VAN type trailers
Top 10 manufacturers don’t make “specialty” trailers other than FLATBEDs

Specialty trailer manufacturers typically only make one type of trailer

In each specialty category Top 2 manuf generally have 50%+ market share
Summary

 Analysis covers all HDVs greater than 10,000 lb GVWR (Class 3 

– Class 8) registered between 2003 and 2007

 On average 684,000 new HDVs registered each year

 Class 3 trucks, 30% of new registrations

 Class 8 trucks, 30% of new registrations

 Class 4 – 7 trucks, each between 6% and 11%

Heavy Duty Truck Types/Uses

36

 Class 4 – 7 trucks, each between 6% and 11%

 The largest subset of newly registered HDVs were Class 8 

TRACTORS (713,000), followed by large (Class 3) PICK UP 

trucks (573,000)

 Class 8 tractors represent 22% of new HDV registrations and 

68% of new Class 8 truck registrations
Summary

 Of all STRAIGHT TRUCKS, more than 50% are likely equipped 

with some kind of box or flat bed body and are used to haul 

freight

 Trucks registered to CONSTRUCTION companies represent 

13% of straight trucks (6% of all HDVs)

 Trucks registered to SANITATION/REFUSE companies 

Heavy Duty Truck Types/Uses

37

 Trucks registered to SANITATION/REFUSE companies 

represent 2% of straight trucks (1% of all HDVs)

 Other HDV types with large numbers of new registrations 

include-

 MOTOR HOME (Class 3 – 8): 262,000 (8% of all HDVs)

 SCHOOL BUS (most Class 7): 148,000 (4% of all HDVs)
Heavy Duty Truck Market Share

 Manufacturing of larger trucks is dominated by a few, mostly

American, “truck” manufacturers

 Class 8 TRACTOR: Freightliner, International, Peterbuilt, 

Kenworth, Volvo (90% for top 5)

 Class 8 STRAIGHT/VOCATIONAL: Mack, International, 

Sterling, Peterbuilt, Kenworth, Freightliner (88% for top 6)

Summary

38

 Manufacturing of smaller trucks (Class 3 and 4) is dominated by 

the “Big 3 auto” manufacturers:

 Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge (89%)

 Isuzu, Mitsubishi (10%)

 Class 6 trucks are produced in significant numbers by both the 

“truck” and “auto” manufacturers
Heavy Duty Truck Fuel Use

 Class 8 tractors account for approximately 57% of annual VMT 

and 67% of annual fuel used by new Class 3 - 8 HDVs

 Other Class 8 trucks & buses account for about 13% of annual 

VMT and fuel

 School Buses 1.9% of fuel

 Transit buses 1.5% of fuel

Summary

39

 Transit buses 1.5% of fuel

 Vocational Trucks 2.8% of fuel

 Other Straight trucks 6.0% of fuel

 Class 3 trucks account for 30% of new HDV sales, but only 17% 

of annual VMT and 10% of annual fuel use
Heavy Duty Truck Fleet Size

 At the end of 2007 there were 11.6 million HDVs registered in the 

U.S.

 51% of this current in-use fleet are Class 8 trucks

 Class 8 TRACTORS represent 21% of all in-use HDVs and 39% 

of in-use Class 8 trucks

 Owner-operator trucks represent 35% of the total in-use fleet, but 

Summary

40

 Owner-operator trucks represent 35% of the total in-use fleet, but 

only 18% of in-use Class 8 trucks

 61% of all in-use HDVs are in fleets with less than 10 trucks

 45% of in-use Class 8 trucks are in fleets with less than 10 trucks
 Between 2003 - 2007 1.1 million commercial trailers were 

registered in the U.S. (average 215,000/year)

 1.5x as many new trailers as new Class 8 tractors

 Dry VANS and REFRIGERATED VANS together accounted for 

68% of new trailer registrations 

 FLATBED and FLAT BED DROP DECK trailers = 10%

Commercial Trailer Types/Uses

Summary

41

 FLATBED and FLAT BED DROP DECK trailers = 10%

 CONTAINER CHASSIS = 7%

 All other “specialty” trailers (DUMP, TANK, GRAIN, HOPPER, 

etc.) = 15%

 55% of newly registered trailers are 53 feet long, and virtually all 

others are shorter (24 – 52 feet)

 75% of newly registered VANS are 53 feet long, and virtually all 

others are shorter (24 – 52 feet)
Summary

 74% of trailers built by 5 manufacturers

 Great Dane, Wabash National, Utility Trailer Manufacturing, 

Hyundai, and Stoughton Trailers

 Primarily build VAN, REFRIGERATED VAN, CONTAINER 

CHASSIS and FLAT BED trailers

 89% market share for “box type” trailers

Commercial Trailer Market Share

42

 89% market share for “box type” trailers

 The next 5 largest trailer manufacturers have only 10% market 

share

 Primarily build VAN, CONTAINER CHASSIS, FLAT BED and 

FLAT BED DROP DECK trailers
Summary

 Most “specialty” trailers are built by manufactures that specialize 

in only one or two types of trailer

 Specialty trailer manufacturers do not build VAN or FLAT BED 

trailers

 50 different companies have top-10 market share in at least on 

type of trailer

 For all types of trailers except FLAT BED and DUMP, the top two 

Commercial Trailer Market Share

43

 For all types of trailers except FLAT BED and DUMP, the top two 

manufacturers have 55% - 99% market share

 Market for FLAT BED and DUMP trailers is more fragmented

 Larger number of manufacturers and more evenly distributed 

market shares

 No manufacturer of DUMP trailers has more than 12% market 

share
Appendix

Data Sources & 

Analysis Methodology

44
Main Data Source

Polk Automotive TIPNETTM Database – Industry Sales Data

 Database of all heavy-duty vehicles registered in the U.S.

 Can track vehicles currently registered (current fleet)

 Can track new registrations in any year (sales)

 Individual vehicles identified by their Vehicle Identification Number 

(VIN)

 Encodes information such as MODEL YEAR, WEIGHT CLASS, 

45

VEHICLE TYPE, CAB TYPE, MAKE & MODEL

 Database populated by Polk based on “decoding” the VIN

 Includes registering company information 

 Polk assigns a REGISTRATION VOCATION based on the type of 

business the registering company is in

 A separate database tracks commercial trailers

 New registrations only - can not determine composition of actual 

current fleet
Limitations of Polk Data

 VIN is generally assigned by the chassis manufacturer

 For most trucks does not include the type of vocational body 

installed (freight box, tank, dump, etc)

 REGISTRATION VOCATION can be used to infer body type, with 

limitations

 Example: many but not all trucks with registration vocation 

Main Data Source

46

 Example: many but not all trucks with registration vocation 

SANITATION/REFUSE will be refuse trucks; some will be 

service trucks, freight trucks, etc.

 VIN includes truck MAKE and MODEL, but “MODEL” is generally 

broadly defined by the manufacturer

 Single MODEL may include a range of engine sizes

 Single MODEL may include a number of cab types (including 

both day cabs and sleeper cabs for tractors)
Estimates of VMT and Fuel Use

 U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable 

Energy, Transportation Energy Data Book, Edition 27, 2008; 

ORNL-6981, Tables 5.1, 5.2, 5.4

 U.S. Department of Transportation, National Transit Database, 

2005; Table 17 and 19

 Nathan & Associates, Motor Coach Industry Census 2008, for the 

American Bus Association

Other Data Sources

47

 Davis, S. and Truett, L., Investigation of Class 2b Trucks, 

Oakridge National Laboratory, ORNL/TM-2002/49, March 2002 

Class 2b Trucks

 Truck manufacturer web sites

Truck Model Data

 U.S. Census Bureau, Vehicle Inventory & Use Survey, 2002

Fleet Purchase Behaviour
Analysis Methodology

Polk Automotive TIPNETTM Database – Industry Sales Data

 Vehicles were separated into weight classes based on the VINdefined weight class assigned by the manufacturer

 Vehicles were separated by type based on either the VIN-defined 

vehicle type assigned by the manufacturer, or based on the 

“registration vocation” assigned by Polk

 Unambiguous VIN-defined vehicle types include: Tractor 

(combination truck), Pick-up, Van, Step Van, Motor Home, Fire 

48

(combination truck), Pick-up, Van, Step Van, Motor Home, Fire 

Truck, Emergency Vehicle, School Bus, and Bus Non-school 

(Transit Bus or Coach Bus)

 Other straight trucks (non-tractors) were separated into categories 

based on vocation registration (i.e. perceived use) – these 

categories are approximate only

 Example: the majority of trucks with registration vocation 

“Sanitation/Refuse” will be refuse haulers, but some will be other 

types of trucks used by sanitation companies 
Analysis Methodology

Estimated VMT and Fuel Use by Class/Type

 For each type of HDV, total annual fleet VMT and FUEL USE from 

new trucks were estimated as follows:

 VMT (miles) = # of Trucks x Average Annual Mileage (miles/truck)

 FUEL (gallons) = VMT ÷ Average Fuel Economy (MPG)

 For each type of HDV the number of trucks was taken from the Polk 

TIPNETTM database (new registrations last five years)

49

 For each class/type of HDV average annual mileage and average 

fuel economy was taken from U.S. Department of Energy statistics 

or from other industry sources. 
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