The new truck market was tracking down for the latter half of 2025 and that trend has continued through the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest numbers released by the Truck Industry Council (TIC).
Overall, the TIC figures showed there were 3665 units moved last month, 460, or 11.1 per cent down from the same month last year.
TIC CEO Tony McMullan warned that the real impact of the war in Iran on sales in Australia is yet to come.
“This downturn in new truck sales is not as a result of the current global geopolitical landscape,” McMullan said.
“Due to the order/build/registration/delivery process for new trucks, that typically takes two to four months, we are yet to see what effect those global events have on new truck sales in Australia.”
Overall numbers for March. Graphic: TICMcMullan, however, said there is little doubt that the events in the Middle East over the past six weeks and the ensuing effect of fuel prices in Australia, has placed the road freight industry under substantial financial stress.
“Business confidence in the sector is suffering considerably and understandably the significant increase in operational costs for transport companies may lead many organisations to review their immediate fleet expansion and/or fleet replacement plans.
“I believe that possibly April sales, but particularly May and June numbers will give a better indicator of the likely, tougher times ahead.”
In line with the first two months of 2026, all segments recorded losses compared to March 2025 results.
The heavy duty segment took a fair hit again in March, down 9 per cent, with 1240 sales recorded. This was down 123 heavies when compared to March 2025 sales.
Kenworth cements its number one ranking among the heavies. Graphic: TICThe overall heavy duty numbers for the first quarter 2026 faired a little worse due to poor sales in January and February. Year-to-date the segment trails the same period last year by 11.1 per cent, or 375 trucks. A total of 3005 HD trucks have been sold so far in 2026, compared to 3380 to the end of March 2025.
Medium Duty sales again bore the brunt of the slow down, with only 419 mediums sold in March, down a significant 32.7 percent (-204 trucks) on March 2025.
At the end of the first quarter segment sales lag those of last year by 35.4 per cent (589 trucks). In fact, the first quarter 2026 MD truck sales result of 1075 units, was the worse start to the year since 2001, when only 1009 mediums were sold for the opening quarter. This is a 25-year low.
The light end of the market held up a little better than their bigger brothers last month, revealed TIC. Light Duty Truck sales (trucks between 3500kg and 8000kg GVM) totalled 1131, down just 3.9 per cent (-40 vehicles) over the March 2025 result.
To the end of the first quarter, 2630 light trucks have been delivered, a significant decrease of 10.2 per cent over the 2025 quarter one result, that amounts to 298 fewer light truck sales so far in 2026.
TIC said this is primarily due to poor LD truck sales in January and February this year.
The peak industry body for truck manufacturers and importers in Australia also released an Alternative Fuel Type report for March and first quarter of year 2026 – see below.
Graphic: TICThe post Middle East conflict predicted to keep brakes on new truck sales appeared first on Big Rigs.