Daimler Truck Q1 2026 earnings hurt by U.S. tariffs
Key takeaways
- On an adjusted basis, group EBIT came in at €498 million, roughly half the €1.08 billion the company posted in the first quarter of 2025.
- The damage was concentrated at Trucks North America, where unit sales fell 25% to 29,432 as the division absorbed the effects of low order intake in the prior year.
- CFO Eva Scherer told analysts the tariffs that have weighed on Trucks North America were felt in full for the first time during Q1, with that cost coming to a minimum of €100 million, Reuters reported.
Daimler Truck Q1 2026 earnings hurt by U.S. tariffs Quartz · picture alliance / Getty Images Colleen Cabili Wed, May 6, 2026 at 8:11 PM GMT+7 2 min read DTG.DE Daimler Truck reported a steep first-quarter earnings decline, with sluggish North American volumes and import tariffs weighing on the segment that generates the bulk of the group s profits.
On an adjusted basis, group EBIT came in at €498 million, roughly half the €1.08 billion the company posted in the first quarter of 2025. Adjusted return on sales for the industrial business dropped to 5.0% from 9.6%, the company said. Earnings per share came in at €0.18, down from €0.94.
The damage was concentrated at Trucks North America, where unit sales fell 25% to 29,432 as the division absorbed the effects of low order intake in the prior year. Revenue at the segment dropped to €3.84 billion from €5.41 billion, and adjusted return on sales collapsed to 5.4% from 14.4%. Taken together, those pressures — weaker volume, currency headwinds, and the tariff burden — represented a €624 million hit to the North American division in the period.