Sep 13, 2010 12:45 PM

There were 354,400 used commercial vehicles (GVW Class 3-8) registered in the United States during the first two quarters of 2010, according to Polk, provider of data-driven systems for the commercial vehicle industry. This historic number sets a new record for used commercial vehicle registrations in a six-month timeframe and represents nearly 68% of the commercial vehicle market. Additionally, this figure represents an increase of 28.8% over the same time frame in 2009.

“The significant increase in used-vehicle registrations so far this year is indicative of an uptick in the industry with the changeover of the commercial fleet,” said Gary Meteer, director, sales and client services, at Polk. “Large-fleet owners and operators are upgrading to new vehicles, and therefore the smaller fleet companies and independent owner-operators have great opportunities to find available, clean used equipment.”

Combined registrations of new and used commercial vehicles in the first half of 2010 were 524,700, or an 18.9% increase over the same period in 2009. New commercial vehicle registrations saw an increase of 3.1% in the time frame.

Polk’s most recent Commercial Vehicle Market Intelligence Report includes these findings along with other commercial market highlights, including new commercial vehicle registration information, geographical registrations, and key insight into aftermarket component demand, which helps aftermarket and OEM component suppliers better plan inventory to match demand for replacement parts.