The heavy goods vehicle fell by 3.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2016 following five consecutive quarters of growth.
Nevertheless, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that for the year to date, the market is up by 6.6 per cent on last year at 32,647 units.
For the first nine months of the year registrations of artics were down 11.3 per cent at 12,743 units. But rigids were up 22.5 per cent at 19,930.
DAF took market leadership for the year to date with a 30.7 per cent share, followed by Scania (16.8 per cent), Mercedes (12.8 per cent) and Volvo (12.6 per cent).
SMMT chief Mike Hawes said: “Disruption to fleet renewal patterns, triggered by regulatory changes, resulted in a significant rise in registration volumes last year. Therefore it’s no surprise to see a comparative decline in the truck market at this point in 2016. Despite the decline, the HGV market remains strong, with year-to-date registrations ahead of the same period last year, and now at the highest level in eight years. Maintaining economic certainty for operators will be key to the sector’s on-going success.”
