US Heavy Truck Manufacturers: Exports

The United States is the world’s second-largest truck exporter, shipping $21.2 billion in trucks globally in 2024. Names like PACCAR, Daimler Truck North America, and Navistar International dominate the Class 6-8 segment, building vehicles that haul freight across six continents. Yet the way most of these manufacturers and their supplier networks find international buyers has barely changed in 30 years. AI-powered outbound replaces that legacy model with a system that reaches fleet operators, logistics companies, and government procurement teams worldwide, every week, without adding headcount.

The US Heavy Truck Industry: Who Builds What

The American heavy truck sector is concentrated among a handful of major OEMs, each with global ambitions and a deep supplier base.

Daimler Truck North America manufactures Freightliner and Western Star trucks at plants in Portland, Oregon, Cleveland, North Carolina, and two facilities in Mexico. In 2025, DTNA sold 141,814 vehicles and held a commanding 39.6% North American Class 8 market share. Daimler expects to sell between 150,000 and 170,000 vehicles in 2026 as the cycle recovers.

PACCAR, parent of Kenworth and Peterbilt, delivered 144,200 vehicles worldwide in 2025 with total revenues of approximately $27 billion. Kenworth and Peterbilt held a combined 30.7% US and Canada Class 8 retail market share in 2024, and PACCAR International sells trucks in more than 40 countries.

Navistar International (now part of the TRATON Group, Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle arm) produces International brand trucks. TRATON’s acquisition of Navistar gave the German group a direct foothold in North America, connecting its Scania and MAN brands with International’s US dealer network.

Beyond these OEMs, the US is home to a large ecosystem of trailer manufacturers (Wabash, Great Dane, Utility Trailer), specialty vehicle builders (Oshkosh, REV Group, Spartan Motors), and Tier-1 component suppliers that serve both domestic fleets and export markets.

Market Size and Export Dynamics

The numbers behind this sector are substantial.

The US heavy-duty truck market is valued at approximately $51.56 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $71.81 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.85%. The broader truck and bus manufacturing industry in the US is worth an estimated $40.6 billion in 2026.

On the export side, the US shipped $21.2 billion in trucks in 2024, making it the second-largest truck exporter behind Mexico ($41.4 billion). Canada is the top destination for American truck exports, followed by Mexico and Germany. The sector’s export trajectory points toward roughly $18 billion in heavy-duty truck exports by 2028.

The market is now entering a recovery phase. According to ACT Research, Class 8 orders hit 46,200 units in February 2026, a 156% increase year-over-year, following a January figure of 30,800 units (up 20% YoY). After a sluggish 2025, fleet replacement cycles are strengthening, freight markets are firming, and the EPA’s 2027 low-NOx regulation is driving prebuy activity.

The vocational truck segment is getting an additional boost from what ACT Research calls “strong secular tailwinds,” particularly $650 billion in data center and AI infrastructure spending planned for 2026, all of which requires heavy trucks to move materials and equipment.

How Heavy Truck Exporters Have Traditionally Found Buyers

The commercial vehicle industry has relied on a small number of high-cost channels to build international pipeline.

Trade Shows: The Industry Calendar

Heavy truck manufacturers and suppliers revolve around a fixed set of annual events:

• NTEA Work Truck Week in Indianapolis drew a record 16,413 attendees from 31 countries in 2025, with 549 exhibitors filling every square foot of exhibit space. The 2026 edition returns March 10-13 with 500+ exhibitors.
• IAA Transportation in Hannover, Germany, attracted 1,650 exhibitors from 41 countries in September 2024, featuring every major truck OEM from Daimler and MAN to Scania and Volvo.
• Brisbane Truck Show in Australia drew a record 54,790 attendees in 2025 across 35,000 square metres of exhibition space, with 20 truck brands presenting. The next edition is in 2027.

These events are where deals happen. They are also where budgets disappear. A mid-size truck component supplier exhibiting at NTEA, IAA, and one regional show can easily burn through $150,000-$250,000 per year on booth space, logistics, travel, and accommodation for a team of six.

Dealer Networks

The major OEMs distribute through extensive dealer networks. Rush Truck Centers alone operates more than 140 dealerships across the US. Premier Truck Group runs 45 North American locations with nearly 3,000 employees. These networks excel at domestic fleet sales and aftermarket service. They are far less effective at identifying new international buyers, particularly in emerging markets across the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America where fleet operators are actively sourcing Class 6-8 trucks.

Field Representatives

A dedicated field sales rep covering international markets costs $80,000-$120,000+ per year in base salary before commissions, travel, benefits, and management overhead. One rep can realistically cover one, maybe two, geographic markets. Reaching fleet operators in Australia, the UAE, Chile, Nigeria, and Southeast Asia simultaneously requires a multilingual sales team that most suppliers and mid-tier manufacturers cannot afford to build.

Why These Channels Are Losing Ground

The traditional playbook for selling commercial vehicles internationally is cracking under its own weight.

The Math Is Getting Worse

At $300-$900+ per qualified lead from trade fairs and $500-$1,200+ per qualified lead from field reps, the cost of generating international pipeline through conventional channels is prohibitive for all but the largest OEMs. A component supplier making $20 million in annual revenue cannot justify spending $200,000 per year on trade show participation that yields 15-20 warm leads and a handful of eventual orders.

Coverage Gaps Are Permanent

Trade shows happen once a year. NTEA is four days. IAA runs for six. Brisbane happens every two years. Between events, there is no systematic way to reach new buyers. Dealer networks focus on their existing territories. Field reps cover their assigned regions. Entire continents go unworked because the sales infrastructure to cover them does not exist.

Buyer Behavior Has Shifted

Fleet procurement teams at logistics companies, construction firms, mining operations, and government agencies increasingly research equipment online before engaging a sales rep. They compare specs, read case studies, and shortlist suppliers months before any trade show. Manufacturers who are not showing up in those early research phases are losing deals they never knew existed.

Tariff Volatility Creates Urgency

The commercial vehicle sector faces growing trade policy complexity. Daimler Truck recorded a 250 million euro tariff-related loss in 2025. New 25% tariffs on imported medium and heavy-duty trucks, combined with ongoing USMCA negotiations, mean that manufacturers need diversified export markets more than ever. Relying on two or three destination countries while trade barriers shift is a strategic vulnerability.

AI-Powered Outbound: The Year-Round Pipeline

This is where AI-powered outbound changes the equation for commercial truck manufacturers, trailer builders, and component suppliers.

Instead of waiting for buyers to walk past your booth at NTEA or hoping a field rep in Dubai makes the right introduction, an AI outbound engine identifies, qualifies, and contacts procurement decision-makers at fleet operators, logistics companies, and government agencies across target markets, automatically, every week.

Here is how it works in practice for a heavy truck manufacturer or supplier:

Identification. The system builds targeted prospect lists: fleet managers at logistics companies in the Gulf states, procurement directors at mining operations in Chile, transport ministry officials overseeing public fleet renewals in Southeast Asia. These are the people who buy Class 6-8 trucks and components.

Qualification. Each prospect is verified against firmographic and behavioral signals. Does the company operate the right fleet size? Are they in an active procurement cycle? Do they import from the US or competing markets? Only qualified prospects enter the outreach sequence.

Personalization at scale. Every message is tailored to the recipient’s company, fleet type, procurement history, and market context. A message to a Brazilian logistics operator reads differently from one sent to an Australian mining company. AI handles that personalization across hundreds of contacts simultaneously.

Multi-touch sequences. Prospects receive a structured series of touchpoints, email, follow-up, and re-engagement, timed to maximize response rates without overwhelming inboxes.

Pipeline delivery. Warm replies, meeting requests, and RFQ inquiries land in your sales team’s inbox. Your team spends its time closing, not prospecting.

The cost? $150-$300 per qualified lead, a fraction of what trade fairs and field reps deliver, with no geographic limitations and no seasonal gaps.

What This Looks Like for the US Heavy Truck Sector

Consider the different players in this ecosystem and what AI outbound unlocks for each:

OEM export divisions. PACCAR sells in 40+ countries. Daimler operates globally. But even these companies have whitespace markets where they lack dealer coverage. AI outbound can systematically prospect fleet operators in those underserved regions, filling the pipeline that dealer networks cannot reach.

Trailer manufacturers. Companies like Wabash, Great Dane, and Utility Trailer face growing import competition from Mexican and Chinese manufacturers. AI outbound lets them proactively reach international buyers who might otherwise default to lower-cost competitors.

Specialty vehicle builders. Oshkosh, REV Group, and dozens of smaller builders produce fire trucks, refuse vehicles, concrete mixers, and other specialty Class 6-8 vehicles. These products serve niche markets globally, exactly the kind of segments where targeted outbound outperforms broad-reach trade shows.

Component and parts suppliers. The hundreds of US companies making engines, transmissions, axles, braking systems, electrical components, and aftermarket parts for commercial vehicles have the hardest time justifying international trade show costs. AI outbound gives them a scalable way to reach OEMs, fleet workshops, and aftermarket distributors worldwide.

The Recovery Window Is Open

The timing matters. After a sluggish 2025, the Class 8 market is entering an early-cycle recovery. Orders are surging. Fleet replacement demand is building. The EPA’s 2027 low-NOx mandate is pulling forward purchases. Data center construction is driving vocational truck demand.

Manufacturers who build international pipeline now, while competitors are still waiting for the next trade show, will capture disproportionate share of the recovery. The companies that wait for IAA Transportation 2026 in Hannover or the next Brisbane Truck Show in 2027 will be 12-18 months behind.

Getting Started

If you manufacture or supply heavy trucks, trailers, or commercial vehicle components in the United States, here is the honest question: how many new international buyers did your last trade show deliver, and what did each one cost?

If the answer makes you uncomfortable, it should.

AI outbound is not a replacement for your dealer network or your presence at NTEA. It is the layer that runs between events, filling the 360 days per year when no trade show is happening. It reaches markets your field reps do not cover. It contacts buyers your dealers have never met.

Learn how the growth engine works, or get in touch to see what an AI-powered pipeline looks like for your specific product line and target markets.

For a broader view of how AI outbound is reshaping US manufacturing exports, read our overview of AI outbound for US manufacturers. If you are in the automotive components space specifically, see our deep dive on US auto parts exporters.

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FAQ

How does AI outbound differ from email marketing for truck manufacturers?

Email marketing broadcasts generic messages to purchased lists. AI outbound identifies specific procurement decision-makers at fleet operators, qualifies them based on fleet size and buying signals, and sends personalized messages relevant to their exact operational needs. The targeting precision and personalization are what drive response rates significantly above bulk email.

What types of heavy truck companies benefit most from AI outbound?

Mid-size manufacturers and suppliers benefit the most, specifically companies with $10 million to $200 million in revenue that make competitive products but lack the international sales infrastructure of a PACCAR or Daimler. Trailer manufacturers, specialty vehicle builders, and Tier-1 component suppliers all see strong results because their products serve identifiable buyer segments globally.

Can AI outbound reach government fleet procurement teams?

Yes. Government agencies, municipal fleet operators, military logistics divisions, and public works departments across dozens of countries procure Class 6-8 vehicles and components through structured RFQ processes. AI outbound identifies the right contacts within these organizations and initiates conversations that can lead to formal bid invitations.

How quickly does an AI outbound campaign generate results for commercial vehicle companies?

Most campaigns begin generating warm replies and meeting requests within 3-4 weeks of launch. The system ramps as it learns which messaging, targeting, and timing combinations produce the best response rates for your specific product category and target markets.

What does AI outbound cost compared to exhibiting at NTEA or IAA?

A single NTEA Work Truck Show booth with travel and logistics can cost $30,000-$80,000 for four days. IAA Transportation in Hannover runs even higher for international exhibitors. AI outbound delivers qualified leads at $150-$300 each, running continuously, covering multiple markets simultaneously, with no flights, no hotels, and no booth construction.