Freightliner, Peterbilt, Kenworth, International, Volvo and Mack were the six largest individual manufacturers in NADA’s December 2025 U.S. Class 8 market-share table. Freightliner led with 35.3% of year-to-date share; Peterbilt and Kenworth were nearly tied for second. This ranking measures new Class 8 manufacturer market share—not driver preference, reliability, or the size of the trucks already on the road.
How this ranking defines “popular”
Here, “popular” means share of the U.S. new Class 8 truck market, using the National Automobile Dealers Association’s December 2025 TruckBeat table. Class 8 is the heavy-duty category relevant to this comparison. The percentages below are manufacturers’ 2025 year-to-date shares as reported in that table, rather than a survey of drivers or a count of the full in-use fleet. See NADA TruckBeat.
| Rank | Manufacturer | 2025 U.S. Class 8 share | On-highway model example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freightliner | 35.3% | Cascadia |
| 2 | Peterbilt | 15.2% | Model 579 |
| 3 | Kenworth | 15.1% | T680 |
| 4 | International | 11.0% | LT |
| 5 | Volvo | 9.1% | VNL |
| 6 | Mack | 8.7% | Anthem |
Market shares are from NADA’s December 2025 report; model names are examples from the manufacturers’ product information. The figures are rounded as published. Western Star followed the six at 5.5%.
The six leading semi-truck brands
1. Freightliner
Freightliner ranked first by a wide margin, with 35.3% of 2025 year-to-date U.S. Class 8 share in NADA’s December table. Its Cascadia is an on-highway model. Freightliner also makes vocational, medium-duty and electric trucks, so the brand’s entire lineup should not be treated as Class 8 tractors. See Freightliner’s Cascadia page and its truck lineup.
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2. Peterbilt
Peterbilt held 15.2%, just 0.1 percentage point ahead of Kenworth. The Model 579 is one current on-highway example in Peterbilt’s product range. See Peterbilt’s Model 579 page.
3. Kenworth
Kenworth recorded 15.1%, making it effectively neck and neck with Peterbilt in this snapshot. Its T680 is a current on-highway model example. See Kenworth’s T680 page.
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4. International
International had 11.0% of the reported share. The LT is its long-haul truck series. International discusses competing aerodynamic models, including the Cascadia, T680 and Volvo VNL, in the context of its own test; that is the manufacturer’s account, not an independent six-brand comparison. See International’s LT page.
5. Volvo
Volvo’s share was 9.1%. The VNL is an example of its heavy-truck line. For current model-year details, consult Volvo Trucks North America’s VNL page.
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Rank #3
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6. Mack
Mack recorded 8.7%. Its current product lineup includes the Anthem, an on-highway model example. See Mack’s Anthem page.
Why parent-company market shares are different
Several makers sell more than one truck nameplate. PACCAR owns Peterbilt and Kenworth; its reported 29.9% U.S. and Canadian Class 8 retail share for 2025 combines those brands and covers two countries. Daimler Truck North America’s Freightliner and Western Star together represented approximately 41.0% of the 2025 Class 8 market in a Penske Automotive Group filing. These corporate groupings are useful context, but neither is directly comparable to an individual brand’s U.S. share in NADA’s table. See PACCAR’s 2025 annual report and Penske Automotive Group’s 2025 annual report.
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The manufacturer relationships also explain why some names are grouped at corporate level: the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2024 material identifies Navistar/International; Daimler Truck North America/Freightliner and Western Star; Volvo Group/Mack and Volvo Trucks North America; and PACCAR/Kenworth and Peterbilt. That report is organizational context, not the source for the 2025 ranking. See the DOE-hosted report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What market share can—and cannot—tell you
Market share shows how much of the reported new-truck market a manufacturer captured during the period. It does not establish which brand is best for a particular fleet or owner. This ranking contains no comparable six-way evidence on reliability, purchase price, fuel economy, resale value, dealer service or driver satisfaction. Model fit depends on the work: an on-highway tractor and a vocational truck serve different needs, even when they carry the same manufacturer badge.
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