Auction pricing recovered from a weak March, JD Power says in its May 2026 Commercial Truck Guidelines.
"Used truck pricing has historically tracked freight spot rate movement, at least directionally, and both metrics began turning positive in Q4 of last year with momentum building through Q1 of this year," the report says. "The spot market's strength is a supply-side phenomenon drive by structural factors rather than a demand-driven freight volume surge."
At auction
Auction prices rose 8.5% month over month but was down 5.3% year over year, the report says, with volumes up 21% month over month and 7.6% year over year. JD Power says March was an atypically soft month for auction volume, explaining the big jump.
Retail sales
Retail prices were basically flat month over month and year over year. Dealership sales dropped from March's "exceptional" performance, but was still the second-strongest month in more than four years.
[RELATED: ACT says used truck sales inched back from March numbers]
Retail sales per rooftop were down month over month but up slightly year over year. Truck age is stabilizing near 58 months, a full year younger than the long-term average. They also have fewer miles. Average mileage dropped 3.2% month over month and 4.3% year over year.
TPS sister brand Price Digest shows a slight uptick in truck prices recently, particularly among newer models, with two-year-old trucks averaging $95,290. Five-year-old models averaged $53,380 on the month and 10-year-old models were down to $25,410.
Waning retail demand for trucks older than five years is becoming an entrenched pattern, JD Power says.
"Sustained rate improvement, healthy retail sales and stable pricing collectively signal that the used truck market has cycled back into positive territory, notwithstanding ongoing risks from tariff volatility, fuel cost pressures and policy uncertainty," the report says.
For more information, and to read the entirety of this month’s report, please CLICK HERE.
