According to a report by Polk, new commercial vehicle registrations (Gross Vehicle Weight 3-8) in the U.S. are set to reach 440,000 units for the 2011 calendar year, an increase of 17.6% over 2010 calendar year and a 33% improvement from 2009 performance.  However, new registrations remain 45.4% lower than the historic peak in reached in 2006. Polk reports the 2011 recovery is being led by a large increase in registrations of GVW 3 vehicles, rather than GVW 8 vehicles, which have historically been the predominant segment in the commercial vehicle market.

According to the report, small commercial fleets which represent 1-5 units were up 23.3% during the first eight months of 2011, and represented 32.6% of new commercial vehicle registrations. Large fleets reported a 19.5% increase since 2010.
 
The report further indicates that the largest category of new commercial vehicle registrations for 2011 is with leasing and rental companies, with a 21.4% share, versus a 17.2% share during the comparable period of 2010.