The Trucker reported that new truck sales in the heavy-duty category more than doubled in October versus the monthly total from October 2010, and were the best so far in 2011.

The report states that according to figures provided to The Trucker by Ward’s Automotive, Class 8 sales totaled 15,937 trucks in the U.S., which is the best performance since January 2007. October sales were up 8.5% from September, which had been previously reported as the best month of the year.

As reported, 133,399 Class 8 trucks have been sold in the U.S. year-to-date, reflecting an increase of 55.5% from 2010 — and a 79% gain from 2009’s results.  This report noted however that sales this year are still down 43% compared to the total posted through October during the industry’s peak in 2006.