Australian truck market slide steepens

Australian truck deliveries fell sharply across April with 2871 new trucks and vans recorded across the month, representing a 16 per cent year-on-year decline and marking the steepest monthly drop of 2026 so far, according to the latest T-Mark data from the Truck Industry Council (TIC).

The result represents a further step back from March’s 3665 unit result, bringing the sales total to 12,003 trucks across the first four months of the year, down 12.9 per cent on the 13,773 delivered across the same period in 2025.

April’s 16 per cent year-on-year decline is the largest of the four monthly results so far this year, following drops of 11.5 per cent in January, 12.9 per cent in February and 11.2 per cent in March.

Related: Australian truck sales ease in January as market continues to cool

The continued sales slide is likely the materialisation of ongoing financial pressures facing the transport industry this year, which includes the global oil crisis that has resulted in higher diesel prices than ever before in Australia.

A positive segment result did emerge across April, however, with the light-duty truck segment posting a 1.8 per cent year-on-year lift – the first positive monthly result for any segment in 2026.

Japanese manufacturers remained dominant, with Isuzu again topping the overall leaderboard with 709 deliveries, while Hino held second place with 335 units and Fuso rounded out the top three with 256 sales.

The heavy-duty segment recorded 1005 sales in April, a 20.9 per cent drop from March’s 1240 unit result, and down 9.5 per cent on the 1110 deliveries posted in April 2025.

But despite the continued softening, the segment continues to outperform the broader market, with operators in the heavy-duty space proving more committed to fleet renewal than those in the medium-duty and van categories.

Kenworth retained its commanding lead with 208 deliveries, while Volvo held second place with 167 sales, and Isuzu trailed with 158 units, as the top of the sales ladder continues to tighten.

Scania delivered another solid month with 95 sales, while Hino (62), UD Trucks (59), Mercedes-Benz (57), DAF (54) and Fuso (53) all posted comparable mid-pack results.

UD Trucks deserves a particular mention with its 59-unit result, which is the brand’s strongest month of the year so far and a decent step up from the 53 sales it recorded in March.

Mack rounded out the top ten with 40 deliveries, while Dennis Eagle recorded no sales for the month, a not-uncommon pattern for the refuse-focused brand which typically sees its sales arrive in batches.

Heavy-duty truck sales – April 2026:

Kenworth: 208

Volvo: 167

Isuzu: 158

Scania: 95

Hino: 62

UD Trucks: 59

Mercedes-Benz: 57

DAF: 54

Fuso: 53

Mack: 40

Iveco: 19

Freightliner: 15

MAN: 9

Western Star: 9

Dennis Eagle: 0

The medium-duty segment continued its fall from grace with just 360 sales in April, a 40 per cent collapse from the 600 units delivered in April 2025 and the sharpest year-on-year drop of any segment so far this year.

The result reinforces the longer-term structural shift that continues to squeeze the middle of the market, as operators favour either heavy-duty vehicles for higher-capacity work or light-duty trucks for urban duties,

Isuzu again accounted for more than half of all medium-duty sales with 189 deliveries, while Fuso climbed into second place with 68 units, followed by Hino who slipped to third with 47 sales after a stronger March.

Medium-duty truck sales – April 2026:

Isuzu: 189

Fuso: 68

Hino: 47

Iveco: 21

Volvo: 10

Hyundai: 8

Mercedes-Benz: 6

DAF: 5

MAN: 4

UD Trucks: 1

Foton: 1

Light-duty trucks delivered the standout result of the month, with 888 units sold representing a 1.8 per cent year-on-year lift from the 872 recorded in April 2025.

It marks the first positive monthly year-on-year result for any segment in 2026, with light-duty continuing to track as the most resilient category in the broader market thanks to ongoing demand for urban delivery and last-mile logistics.

Isuzu led the segment with 362 sales, lifting its share back above 40 per cent, followed by Hino on 226 units and Fuso with 135 deliveries.

Fiat (49), Iveco (39) and a notable 24-unit result from Volkswagen also contributed to the segment, with the German brand delivering its strongest light-duty result of the year.

Light-duty truck sales – April 2026:

Isuzu: 362

Hino: 226

Fuso: 135

Fiat: 49

Iveco: 39

Volkswagen: 24

Foton Mobility: 20

Hyundai: 13

LDV: 12

Mercedes-Benz: 5

Renault: 1

Ford: 1

Foton: 1

The van segment (3.5-tonne GVM and above) recorded 618 sales in April, down 25.9 per cent on the 834 units delivered in April 2025 and the heaviest single-segment year-on-year decline for the month.

Mercedes-Benz reclaimed the top spot with 190 deliveries, regaining ground after losing the lead to LDV in February and March. LDV held second place with 148 sales, while Ford posted a strong 128 units to round out the top three.

Volkswagen (63), Fiat (43) and Renault (35) made up the rest of the meaningful volume, with Iveco (9) and Peugeot (2) trailing the field.

Light-duty van sales – April 2026:

Mercedes-Benz: 190

LDV: 148

Ford: 128

Volkswagen: 63

Fiat: 43

Renault: 35

Iveco: 9

Peugeot: 2