Truck Sales Report

[HPSimpson]

Thanks great to see sales at 45% for Ram!

 

[Jihn]

Thanks. I saw Garda for so many years I thought it was the national choice.

Absolutely no harm done, but I still wish it was Mexican.

Jihn

 

[Regcabguy]

Absolutely no harm done, but I still wish it was Mexican.

Jihn

Yeah that would help!

 

[Cummins12V98]

Would those numbers in Class 3 include all our 3500 SRW/DRW pickups???

 

[TFucili]

Would those numbers in Class 3 include all our 3500 SRW/DRW pickups???

That is my ASSumption.

 

[Cummins12V98]

So bottom line RAM outsells Ford and GM in the 3500 SRW/DRW category. Ford would have their F450 Pickup in same class.

 

[TFucili]

January 2020. I'm not sure how to interpret these numbers. Something is wacky with Ford. Maybe some companies didn't report?

 

[Cummins12V98]

As of December:
View attachment 119072

this chart really shows how impressive RAM 3500,4500 and 5500 sales are.

 

[mwilson]

I think Freightliner's numbers are in the Ford column with the exception of the light duty...

 

[TFucili]

I think Freightliner's numbers are in the Ford column with the exception of the light duty...

Good catch, Mike! Unless, Ford is suddenly back in the Class 8 business... all aluminum Tunavilles...

On Edit:
I emailed HDT to ask them to check their figures. Will report back if they answer.

 

[NIsaacs]

I think it is all messed up. Mack and IH didn't sell any?

 

[HPSimpson]

TFucili can you get that chart from another source several trucks no data, hard to believe!

 

[TFucili]

TFucili can you get that chart from another source several trucks no data, hard to believe!

HDT is the only place I have seen this data compiled. I just got a reply to my email thanking me for pointing it out. I suspect they might revise the chart. If they do, I will re-post it.

 

[TFucili]

HDT has changed their format to pie charts. Here is August info. Ram is hanging in there. Also engine market share.

 

[Wayne M.]

If only FCA can nail down a few things, they’ll be golden!

 

[TFucili]

If only FCA can nail down a few things, they’ll be golden!

That's a big 'IF'!


It would be a big undertaking, but I'd like to see them get into the 650/750 market again, and take it to Ford there. Tough to find existing dealers who speak medium duty, I guess. They'd need a chassis partner, unless Fiat or Peugeot has something truly suitable for the American market. Maybe they could partner with Mack on their new MD, with Cummins/Allison power, just rolling out? It would help Mack's volume, and there would seem to be little overlap dealer-wise. Kind of the reverse of the Sterling Bullet idea.

They could make a crewcab, gussied-up version, and give Freightshaker some heat in the M2/Sport Chassis market for the horse people, and the heavy RV market.

 

[AHutson]

I got the chance to drive a 2016 Kenworth T680 with the MX-13 Paccar motor in it with a 10 speed Eaton autoshift behind it. While I was not impressed with the transmission, the motor is very nice. Truck was showing 8.5 mpg average on my linehaul run of 650 miles a day from Cheyenne, WY to Kearney, NE and back every day I ran it. Pulled very well, has so much low end power it broke traction violently when I stomped on it accelerating back onto the interstate on a wet road. One of my co-workers was right up my rear trailer bumper one day until I fed it the fuel. I was pulling slightly heavier trailers and his Freightliner might as well have said powered by Briggs & Stratton at that point. I ran off and left him, and made the gap bigger every hill we pulled. This transmission is slow to complete shifts and horrible to get to feather. Backing up with it makes you look like you been driving for 5 minuets. Creature comforts are the best in this truck. Chair is great, suspension is set up where it just glides down the road. You only feel the big bumps. These trucks all have 500,000 miles on them currently and are the best running and driving trucks in the fleet.

The current one I run is a 2019 International LT with the ISX 15 Cummins and Eaton endurant 12 speed autoshift. This one won't pull quite as hard as the Paccar MX-13 but it's close. It shows fuel mileage average of 7.9 mpg on the same run as the Kenworth. Engine is very quiet and smooth. The endurant is a very nice transmisson for an autoshift. Smooth, very quiet, no gear guessing games, no missed shifts and no accelerator pedal use required to make it start to move. Just take foot off brake pedal and it very gently eases out on it's clutch and goes. It gave me a pleasant surprise one day when I was still a city delivery driver in some gooey mud: I forgot to hit the button to lock it into a gear and it didn't try to upshift until well after it got clear of the mud. This is the only autoshift I have driven that doesn't make me miss a manual transmission. This truck also has good creature comforts. Ride is nice, though not as nice as the Kenworth. So far only 100,000 to 200,000 miles on these trucks. Issue drivers have with these is the trailers being loaded too nose-heavy for them so the drive axle has over-weight problems. The company is making adjustments for this on the docks when loading. Moving the 5th wheel hitch forward will lead to the trailers kissing the cab on turns. The cab on these is set further back than the Freightliners or Kenworths.

Most of my companies fleet is Freightliner Cascadia's with the Detroit Diesel DD13 and their in-house 12 speed. The engine pulls and performs ok and is reliable. I have not been impressed with this transmission though. It loves to try to skip too many gears sometimes, lugs then skips back down and keeps this up instead of just hitting the gear it keeps jumping over. I have had several of these stick in a gear which was fortunately easy to cure by pulling over and shutting the truck down. Had a few that love to just miss a shift right in the middle of an intersection too. It also doesn't feather take-offs the best. I have slammed a few docks unintentionally because it thinks it has to dump the clutch randomly, usually about 2 feet from the dock. Creature comforts are ok on these. Chairs are usually good, but the truck rides rougher than the Kenworth or International. They rattle and get a lot more cab noise as a result. This isn't just the older trucks with 750,000 miles on them, but new ones as well.

These trucks are all 4x2 configuration used in a less-than-truckload operation, class 7-8. Figured I would share some observations since I get to drive and use new ones. It will be interesting to see how the engine market share changes.

 

[Wayne M.]

AHuston, I like your input here.
Tom, with FCA’s future involving PSA etc, who knows what medium euro variant could wind up here, the only thing is that it probably won’t be a big C under there.

 

[TFucili]

Tom, with FCA’s future involving PSA etc, who knows what medium euro variant could wind up here, the only thing is that it probably won’t be a big C under there.

That's my fear, Wayne, and I agree with you, but that was the point of my comment about being truly suitable for the American market. The Europeans have never been able to learn that the American market wants what we want. The Mack Mid-Liners(Renault)were always the red headed step-child, and the Ivecos, and other Euro-oriented trucks all proved that. Engine-wise Paccar is getting some traction, for sure, but while Detroit is in-house for Daimler, would it be as successful if they weren't called Detroit Diesel anymore? The American market is different, and companies who think they will dictate what we "should" buy, are almost always left to beat a retreat with their tail between their legs.

 

[Wayne M.]

You’re right tom, but I’ll use the example of the full size van. The Savannah is the survivor, but otherwise they brought over their euro versions and forced them on us. PACCAR kinda did the same thing with that big engine (we know the small engine is a Cummins). Strangely, the Ford and the Ram (Fiat Ducato) are doing well.