Trucks for laughs: truck imports to Russia fell by 92%

The import of trucks has almost stopped: at the end of nine months, 92% fewer heavy trucks were imported to Russia than a year earlier. The sharp decline in supplies is caused by overstocked dealer warehouses and a decrease in demand for such equipment, experts say. The situation is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, and truck imports will remain targeted, experts say. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Fall after takeoff

From January to September inclusive, 4,759 trucks weighing over 16 tons were imported to Russia. This was announced by Sergey Tselikov, General Director of the analytical agency Autostat. This is 92% less than in the same period last year, the lowest figure in the last five years.

For comparison, in 2021, almost 19 thousand trucks were imported into our country, and in 2022, even despite the withdrawal of all European manufacturers of this equipment from Russia after the imposition of sanctions, more than 36.1 thousand heavy trucks were delivered. The record year for the import of heavy trucks was 2023, as a result of which their imports exceeded 108.8 thousand units. The decline began last year, when 75.2 thousand such cars crossed the Russian border.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Andrey Erstrem

— After two years of active importation of a huge number of heavy trucks (almost 200 thousand), there has been a pause. Imports have dropped sharply to a minimum," says Sergey Tselikov.

The vast majority of trucks in the last few years have been shipped from China. But according to the results of the first nine months of this year, the import of trucks of Chinese brands shows a serious drop. Thus, the number of imported FAW heavy equipment fell by 93%, the Sitrak brand reduced shipments by 92%, imports of Howo trucks decreased by 87%, and Sany — by 43%.

The number of truck tractors and dump trucks imported to Russia decreased the most — by 95% and 96%, respectively, while supplies of flatbed trucks and special equipment (concrete mixers, cranes, etc.) seriously decreased — by 83% and 68%, respectively. Against this background, the supply of vans looks relatively good, which decreased by only 22%.

Temporary balance: the used car market has stabilized

Since the beginning of the year, more than 4.4 million used cars have been sold in Russia.

The equipment is not imported

According to experts, the main reason for the sharp drop in truck imports is primarily due to the large volumes of their import in previous years and the serious overstocking of dealer sites against the background of decreasing demand for them.

— There is no point in importing new equipment. What was brought earlier was enough for the shrunken market for this year, and maybe it will be enough for next year," says Sergey Tselikov.

Photo: Global Look Press/Anton Belitsky

Along with the large volumes of commercial equipment accumulated in warehouses, the restrictions imposed by Rosstandart on a number of models from China related to their incorrect certification led to a sharp reduction in truck imports from China, Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, notes.

— Against the background of the suspension of the OTS for a number of models from several Chinese truck manufacturers at once, some importers decided to be safe and not import the permitted models, based on the principle of "what if it also affects them". Moreover, they have something to offer customers — dealers have huge stocks of trucks from 2024 or even 2023," Maxim Kadakov told Izvestia.

Spot importation

A number of imported truck models are nearing the end of their validity period, which is issued for three years, Taras Koval, Vice President of the Association of Transport Experts and Specialists, draws attention to. Given the low demand for heavy machinery, many importers will not spend very substantial funds to extend certification, especially for unpopular models, he believes.

— It is impossible to import vehicles without certification documents. This will be an additional reason why we should not expect an increase in truck imports in the near future," believes Taras Koval.

At least in the first half of 2026, imports of heavy machinery will remain at the current level or even be even lower, Maxim Kadakov believes.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko

— Do not forget that starting from January 1, the recycling fee for all cars, including trucks, will be indexed according to a government decree adopted last fall. Accordingly, cars imported after this date will be more expensive by at least this level of indexing. Given that dealers initially offer cheaper models imported earlier, and even with decent discounts, importing expensive ones simply makes no sense," he told Izvestia.

In his opinion, if two or three years ago trucks from China "marched in columns," then in the near future their import will be spot-on: they will import equipment not in bulk, but for a specific customer.

Crisis of big wheels: truck sales in Russia have collapsed by 60%

The heavy machinery market needs government support and new infrastructure projects.

Igor Morzharetto, partner of the Autostat analytical agency, agrees with him. The volume of imports directly depends on sales, he notes.

— Given that the situation in the commercial vehicle market is much more complicated than in the passenger car segment, we should not expect an increase in the volume of imports of truck models. On the contrary, their imports are likely to continue to decline. Of course, it will not stop completely, but first of all, truck models and their modifications will be supplied from abroad, which have no analogues in the line of Russian manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles," Igor Morzharetto believes.