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September 20, 2000 9:40 AM, EDT

The gap between Class 8 truck sales in 1999 and 2000 widened in August as total sales of 16,986 trailed the 1999 figure of 21,938 by 22.6% — the biggest month-to-month drop so far this year.

The cumulative totals also showed the biggest drop so far this year, with eight-month sales of 156,435 behind the 171,317 sold in same period in 1999 — a drop of 8.7%.

Truck sales set a record in 1999, climbing above 260,000 and topping the previous record, set in 1998, by more than 50,000.

But although this year’s sales started off strong, they have dwindled in recent months. Sales in June were 9.7% below those of June 1999 and July’s sales were 20.2% down from the same month a year earlier.

Total sales for the current year have been projected at 15% to 20% below 1999.

For the full story, see the Sept. 18 print edition of Transport Topics. .