COLUMBUS, Ind. – The unit volume of sales of used heavy-duty (Class 8) commercial vehicles increased 21 percent in December from the previous month, according to ACT Research Co. 

Overall, ACT reports that unit retail channel sales for the full-year were up by 31 percent, followed by a 18 percent gain for the wholesale channel and six percent for auctions.

“Despite a pick-up in sales volume, constricted supplies of equipment of all sizes was the main headline for 2010 and will continue to garner the spotlight in the coming year," said Steve Tam, vice president-commercial vehicle sector with ACT. "There should be some increase in the supply of used trucks as new Class 8 sales rebound, but the supply of late-model and low mileage units is expected to stay tight. That will allow used prices to continue to rise."

Meanwhile, ACT reports that orders of commercial trailers rose to 22,915 in December, a seven percent increase over a strong November.

Seven of the nine trailer categories reported triple digit year-over-year increases in December, led by a whopping 417-percent gain in the “dry van” segment, the largest trailer market.

For the full year, commercial trailer factory shipments rose 52 percent while net orders rose by 105 percent.

"Comparatively speaking, 2010 was a good year for the commercial trailer industry,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst with ACT Research. “However, the fact that even with that increase, 2010 was the second worse year for factory shipments since 1983, clearly shows how bad 2009 was.

"The good news is that orders have ramped up nicely in the last quarter and set the stage for strong growth in 2011."