TIC also hails spectacular start to year from heavy duty segment
Fresh from urging the federal government to aid in national fleet modernisation, the Truck Industry Council (TIC) has hailed the strong commercial vehicles sales start to the year.
The total Australian truck market for January 2018 reached 2,227 units, up 16 per cent on the first month of 2017 and just 20 vehicles shy of the all-time January sales record of 2008.
“It is a healthy start to a new year for heavy vehicle sales and the momentum of 2017 has certainly carried through to 2018,” TIC Tony McMullan says.
“With Australian Bureau of Statistics numbers indicating that our truck park is getting older, we need very healthy new truck sales to arrest this concerning year-on-year trend.
An old truck fleet is less safe, not as environmentally efficient and has lower productivity. All factors that need to be addressed by Government if Australia is to achieve its road transport objectives in these areas.
“Strong sales growth will help, however Government needs to do more in this area. Let us hope that 2018 is the turning point for these issues.”
The TIC describes the result for the heavy duty truck segment as “spectacular”, with 756 units sold, up 57.8 per cent, or 277 units, on the first month in 2017.
“Yet another strong start to a year, even better than 2017 that went on to become the second best on record for new truck sales,” TIC president Phil Taylor says.
“It was particularly pleasing to see such a strong start to the year for the heavy duty truck segment, that led the way in January. Strong sales have transitioned to the new year and if January is to be representative of the year to come we will see some new records set in 2018.”
Full year light duty van sales in 2017 also saw record breaking sales, so backing that up in 2018 “might be difficult”.
January 2018 van sales were down on those of the corresponding month last year by 18.6 per cent,or 89 vans. Total van sales for the month were 389. It should be remembered that January 2017 sales in the van segment were an all-time record and this January’s result, while down, is the second best on recorded.