Truck and bus body price trends

The cost of producing truck bodies has increased at a fairly steady rate over the past 10 years, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There is a slight difference, however, between the cost of bodies sold separately and those that are purchased as complete vehicles.

Since 1993, the producer price index for truck and bus bodies has increased 23.6 percent. The index for truck, bus and other vehicle bodies sold separately, however, increased 23.3 percent, while the change for complete vehicles produced on purchased chassis over the same period rose 26.3 percent, the BLS reported.

While that doesn't appear to be a huge difference, a lot depends on the …