New Housing = More Truck Sales

In the past few months, more new-construction lots have been cleared and landscape contractors around the country are seeing a pick-up in business. As a result sales of pick-up trucks are increasing as a result.

Home construction is the most important driver of light-truck sales, and pickups are big profit makers for General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC.

“There is a lot more steady and consistent work,” said Maryland-based landscape contractor Mike Harwood. “I was more comfortable with buying a new truck at this point in time because of the market change.”

Truck sales reached a record in 2004, when home building was at its peak and full-size pickups accounted for 14 percent of the U.S. market. Today, they are closer to 10 percent.

Doug Scott, the marketing manager for Ford’s F-150, said he is optimistic about what the housing rebound will do for truck sales. In 2004, Americans bought 2.46 million full-size pickups. In 2011, sales totaled 1.5 million.

“We think there is a good chance that as the industry recovers that full-size pickups will be around two million units,” predicted Scott.