Preliminary Net Class 8 Orders Continue Surge

May 9, 2011
Preliminary data shows April Class 8 truck total net orders for all major North American OEMs at 37,922, a 32% increase over March, according to FTR Associates.

Preliminary data shows April Class 8 truck total net orders for all major North American OEMs at 37,922, a 32% increase over March, according to FTR Associates.

April preliminary orders continue the trend of significant month-over-month increase. March orders were 20% above February, with the annualized rate for the past three months now at 362,700 units. The figure includes U.S., Canada, Mexico and Exports.

“April preliminary Class 8 net orders obviously reflect very strong demand from fleets for new units,” said Eric Starks, President of FTR. “The issue we are wrestling with as we forecast build numbers for this year is whether OEs and their component suppliers can ramp up quickly enough to produce units concurrent with in-coming orders. There are already some shortages in the supply chain. We are monitoring this closely.”

Final data for April will be available from FTR later in the month as part of its North American Commercial Truck & Trailer Outlook service. Contact FTR Associates at [email protected] or 1-888-988-1699 ext 1 for more details.