The commercial vehicle market was up 16 per cent in the first seven months of the year, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Registrations of trucks over six tonnes totalled 22,365 in the first seven months of the year, compared to 19,276 last year.
The rigids sector has been the strongest performer – up 44.1 per cent for the year to date. In contrast, registrations of artics were down by 8.5 per cent for the year to date.
The van market is still down on last year despite a strong performance in July, when registrations were up ten per cent to 18,913.
Daf took market leadership in the heavy truck market with a 30 per cent share in the year to date. It was followed by Mercedes (15.6 per cent) and Scania (11.6 per cent).
Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said: “The commercial vehicle market received a welcome boost in July, rising 8.1 per cent in the month, fuelled by strong van registrations. Down 2.2 per cent in the month, truck registrations showed signs of stabilising after almost two years of consistent recovery from recessionary lows.
“The van and rigid truck markets still have a way to go to hit pre-recession levels, but artic volumes have grown since October 2010 to reach levels not seen since 2008.”
