Market share of Class 8 truck manufacturers in the U.S. 2022

The U.S. Class 8 market is dominated by Freightliner. The truck brand recorded year-to-date growth of about 0.3 percent and held a market share of around 37.9 percent in December 2022. This means that almost one in four Class 8 trucks in the United States is a Freightliner-badged vehicle. Daimler Truck is Freightliner’s parent company and sells trucks under its Freightliner and Western Star brands.

 Truck demand indicative of economic trend

Class 8 heavy-duty truck sales expanded by some 15.5 percent in 2021 after the industry was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, resulting in a contraction in sales. In total, customers in the United States bought just under 221,900 heavy-duty trucks in 2021. The industry closed the year on a positive note and also recorded a growth in order intake towards the end of the year. The market recovery is propelled by U.S. trucking companies, three of which ranked as the largest trucking companies worldwide

 Heavyweights in the market 

Class 8 trucks fall into the heavy-duty segment of the U.S. truck market. They are categorized by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration as vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of 33,000 pounds. Many truck manufacturers also build trucks in smaller segments such as Classes 4-7.