Big Rigs · Nationwide · October 28, 2026

Truckers Shopping for a Used Sleeper Face Inventory Down 41% From a Year Earlier, Market Trackers Say

By Big Rig Daily Staff

Update, 4:53 a.m. PT Oct. 28, 2026: Added a table of the September inventory and price figures.

Truckers shopping for a used rig are looking at a thinner market. Used truck and trailer inventory kept shrinking in September while asking prices climbed, according to data from Sandhills Global, J.D. Power and Price Digests that the Commercial Carrier Journal reported on Oct. 27.

The September figures at a glance, as reported by CCJ:

Asking prices and auction prices are different measures. Sandhills tracks what sellers ask for sleepers, while J.D. Power tracks what sleepers sold for at auction, so the two year-over-year changes, 2.23% and 24.8%, are not directly comparable.

Inventory: trucks and trailers

Sandhills Global reported that inventory of used day cab and sleeper trucks fell 2.42% from August and 36.03% from a year earlier, continuing a decline that has run about 10 months. Day cabs had the sharpest monthly drop, 4.65%, while sleepers had the largest annual decline, 41.43%.

Used semi-trailer inventory fell 8.05% from August and 35.33% from a year earlier, the 14th month in a row of decline. Dry vans had the steepest monthly drop, 13.15%, and reefers the steepest annual drop, 48.87%.

Prices

According to Sandhills, asking prices for sleepers rose 3.16% from August and 2.23% from a year earlier. Trailer asking prices were up 1.06% on the month and 7.36% on the year, with flatbeds leading at 12.45% year over year. At auction, truck values slipped 0.14% on the month but were up 4.07% on the year, and trailer auction values were up 2.01% and 14.74%.

J.D. Power: sleepers eased but remain well above last year

J.D. Power's October Commercial Truck Guidelines report said used sleeper prices eased slightly in September:

• Auction prices fell 4.9% from August but were up 24.8% from a year ago.
• Wholesale prices fell 3.4% on the month and rose 5.2% on the year.
• Retail prices slipped 0.5% from August and were up 9.9% from a year ago.

J.D. Power expects more 3- to 5-year-old sleepers to return on trade as new truck deliveries catch up with orders. "More new drivers entering the industry needed clean used trucks at a time when inventory was tight," the report said. "Pricing held firm in September, indicating conditions did not change appreciably."

Price Digests: values up by age

Price Digests, which is owned by CCJ's parent company, saw higher September pricing for 2-, 5- and 10-year-old sleepers. Two-year-old trucks rose nearly $3,000 to an average of $92,330, their highest since April, though still well below the February 2025 peak of $102,410. Five-year-old trucks gained just under $2,000 to $54,340, and 10-year-old trucks averaged $25,500.

Quick facts

• Sleeper inventory: down 41.43% from a year earlier (Sandhills).
• Trailer inventory: down 35.33% from a year earlier, 14 straight months of decline.
• Sleeper auction prices (J.D. Power): down 4.9% month over month, up 24.8% year over year.

Big Rig Daily has also covered J.D. Power's view of used sleeper prices holding firm and used Class 8 sales slipping in September. Thinking of buying? See buying a truck as freight rates rise and run the numbers with the owner-operator profit calculator.

A question for readers

Would you buy a used sleeper at today's prices, or wait for more trade-ins to reach the market?

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