Worldwide commercial vehicle production by region 2018-2023
In 2023, around 13.1 million commercial vehicles were produced in North America. Commercial vehicle production fell globally between 2019 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including North American production, but picked back up in 2022. The region remained the leading commercial vehicle producer, with around one in two commercial vehicles manufactured in North America in 2023.
Trucks move the U.S. economy
Pickups and light trucks such as the Ford F-450 were extremely popular in the United States, straddling commercial and personal use. Additionally, their heavy-duty counterparts sold well in a market that has active agricultural, manufacturing, and construction industries. One of the largest commercial vehicle segments in the United States was road freight, as trucks accounted for about 62 percent of freight movements in the country in 2020. U.S. truckers hauled about 10 billion tons worth of goods across large distances of the country on highways and to areas not served by rail.
Slowing global demand
A downturn in the global economy and its impact on commercial vehicle demand posed a concern for manufacturers in 2022. The impact of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic on the transportation and logistics industry is still being felt across the industry, with manufacturing plants continuing to struggle due to national lockdowns and global demand dropping. However, the supply chain struggled with this rise in demand as semiconductor stocks remain dwindling, leading to a global automotive semiconductor shortage which impacted manufacturers' output and inventory.
