Industry analysts say prospects for Chinese truck manufacturers overseas still look grim because of high barriers to entry in mature markets like Europe and the United States coupled with a saturation of Chinese brands in traditional export destinations like the Middle East and South Africa.

But these truck makers have found a silver lining in China's latest efforts to push forward urbanization.

Heavy-duty trucks are always needed at the growing number of construction sites around the nation. People from the countryside in central and western China are expected to swarm into small cities, creating a large demand for infrastructure and the tools to build it.