Reported sales of used Class 8 commercial vehicles were up 55% in August compared to the prior year on a “same dealer” basis, according to ACT Research Co. ACT further reported that the average price paid for a used Class 8 truck continued to move slightly higher.

“While unit sales are up year-over-year, recent months have seen flat to slightly downward sales volume as dealers have voiced concerns over a shortage of late-model inventory,” said Steve Tam, vice president of ACT’s commercial vehicle sector. “As in most cases when supply tightens, prices go up. In August, the average price of a used Class 8 vehicle sold in a retail setting (excludes auctions and wholesale transactions) broke the $40,000 barrier for the first time since February of 2009.”

ACT Used Truck database participants report approximately 2,500 transactions per month. The company estimates that approximately 10% of used Class 8 transactions are included in the database.