Class 6 Demand Lifts July Medium-Duty Truck Sales

Class 6 carries the month

U.S. medium-duty retail truck sales moved higher in July, but the headline gain was concentrated in one weight class.

Transport Topics, citing Omdia Automotive data, reported that Classes 4-7 retail truck sales rose 4.8% year over year to 18,023 units, up from 17,204 a year earlier. Sales were still down 10.8% from June's 20,210 units, so the month was more a selective rebound than a broad surge.

Class 6 was the only segment to grow. Sales jumped 39.4% to 7,091 units, compared with 5,086 in July 2025. The rest of the medium-duty market moved lower: Class 7 declined 6% to 4,906 units, Class 5 fell 8% to 5,024, and Class 4 dropped 30.2% to 1,002.

Local work may be shaping demand

ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam pointed to local transportation work as one possible driver. He has been watching whether buyers are moving into smaller trucks because of licensing constraints, credential issues, or operating models that do not require the same equipment as long-haul work.

That is a familiar question for service fleets, last-mile operators, municipal departments, utilities, and contractors. Class 6 trucks can sit in a useful middle ground: more capability than a light-duty vehicle, but often easier to fit into local routes, vocational bodies, and driver availability plans than heavier equipment.

Brand leaders by class

The July brand split also matters for fleet buyers watching allocation and dealer support. Freightliner led Class 7 with 2,160 units. Ford led both Class 6, with 3,432 units, and Class 5, with 2,615 units. Isuzu led Class 4 with 683 units.

For fleets planning replacements, the July data suggests demand remains uneven. The strongest signal is not that every medium-duty category is back, but that local and vocational Class 6 use cases are still pulling equipment through the market.