Daimler Truck orders rise 10% to 71,168 vehicles in third quarter
Key Facts
Daimler Truck said on November 6 that incoming orders for the group rose 10% year on year to 71,168 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, compared with 64,412 vehicles in the same period a year earlier. Results showed faster growth in sales, with vehicle sales rising 26% to 91,260 from 72,277. Industrial business revenue increased 20% to 11.635 billion euros, while the group’s adjusted operating profit climbed 73% to 1.124 billion euros from 648 million. The adjusted return on sales for the industrial business was 9.1%, versus 6.2% a year earlier. Chief Executive Karin Rådström said the quarter’s performance “shows that we continue to build momentum across the business.”
North America stood out as the biggest driver of improvement in the figures the company reported for the quarter. In the Trucks North America segment, incoming orders rose 12% to 29,357 vehicles from 26,168, while unit sales increased 51% to 45,629 from 30,225. The segment’s adjusted return on sales reached 12.1%, compared with 6.4% in the third quarter of 2025. The company said the segment’s growth in volume and profitability supported the acceleration in improvement across the group during the quarter. According to Reuters, trucking companies resumed fleet replacement after three years of restraint in purchasing, with segment sales rising 51% in the third quarter.
Growth across the group varied by segment: incoming orders at Mercedes-Benz Trucks rose 14% to 37,640 vehicles, from 33,131 in the same period. By contrast, Daimler Buses orders fell 16% to 4,344 vehicles, compared with 5,196 a year earlier. In the first nine months of 2026, group orders totaled 259,659 vehicles, up 30% from 199,151 in the same period of 2025. Unit sales over the nine months were 246,816 vehicles, up 8% from 228,642. These figures show that the quarterly increase in orders came within a stronger order trend since the start of the year, alongside slower growth in unit sales over the nine months.
On revenue, the industrial business posted 11.635 billion euros in the third quarter, compared with 9.695 billion euros a year earlier, an increase of 20%. Reported revenue slightly exceeded the average analyst forecast of 11.7 billion euros, according to Reuters, which reported the actual figure as 11.6 billion euros. The group’s adjusted operating profit rose to 1.124 billion euros from 648 million, jumping 73% year on year. The profit improvement was accompanied by an increase in the industrial business’s adjusted return on sales to 9.1% from 6.2%. At Trucks North America, adjusted return on sales was 12.1%, versus 6.4% in the third quarter of the previous year.
Daimler Truck reaffirmed its forecast for fiscal 2026, including a range of 7% to 9% for adjusted return on sales for the industrial business. On August 7, the company had raised its forecast range for the group’s adjusted operating profit to 3.6–4.1 billion euros, from 3.2–3.7 billion euros, and raised its range for adjusted return on sales for the industrial business to 7%–9% from 6%–8%. The August update linked the U.S. Commerce Department’s approval of the company’s U.S. content request to higher sales forecasts for Trucks North America. The company also raised its forecast range for adjusted return on sales in the North American segment to 9%–11%, from a previous range of 6% to 8%. Chief Financial Officer Eva Scherer said in August that U.S. freight rates had risen about 30% since the start of the year, while freight volumes had increased slightly, with the company expecting further improvement in volumes in subsequent quarters.
The third-quarter figures provide the latest picture of activity and profitability against the backdrop of those reaffirmed annual forecasts. The group’s quarterly sales rose 26%, while sales growth at Trucks North America was 51%, higher than the 10% increase in incoming orders for the group. The North American segment also recorded 12% growth in orders, and its adjusted return on sales rose to 12.1%. By contrast, Daimler Buses orders declined, highlighting differing demand trends across business units. The company’s announced schedule includes participation in the Baird Global Industrial Conference on November 11, followed by investor tours in London on November 12 and Singapore on November 13.