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Jan 27,2021

Upbeat PACCAR raises truck production estimate

“Basically the truck industry is doing pretty well,” Feight said on a call with analysts following the release of fourth-quarter earnings. “We don’t expect that to change. Truck utilization is high. We’re even starting to see signs of green shoots in the oil and gas industry. All of that combined points to a good year for us in the U.S. and Canada.” The parent company of Kenworth, Peterbilt in North America and DAF Trucks in Europe and Brazil beat the consensus estimate for revenue. It fell 3 cents a share below the consensus for income. PACCAR increased its estimate of 2021 U.S. and Canada Class 8 truck industry retail sales to a range of 250,000 to 280,000 trucks. Parts sales record The Belleville, Washington-based company set a record for parts sales of $1.07 billion in the fourth quarter. One in four orders was handled via e-commerce, said Harrie Schippers, PACCAR president and chief financial officer. “We’ve made investments in our distribution network so next-day delivery and even same-day delivery of parts has increased their percentage,” Feight said. “We think growth will continue in the coming years for our parts team.” PACCAR executives projected a 10% increase in deliveries this quarter with a gross margin of 13.5%. Both depend on a strengthening U.S. economy. “Our order share grew in 2020 as a percentage of the industry,” Feight said. “We feel well positioned to continue growing in 2021.” New products should contribute. The first of those is a truck Peterbilt is teasing for reveal on Feb. 3. “This is going to be a really exciting year for PACCAR in terms of new product introductions,” Feight said. Electric truck production PACCAR will begin building Kenworth– and Peterbilt-branded medium-duty zero-emissions electric trucks in the second quarter. Both qualify for significant rebates through a California voucher program. Most electric trucks are pointed toward the Golden State because of its focus on curbing air pollution.