February Class 8 truck net orders were 28,876 in February, the highest for that month since 2006, according to preliminary data released by FTR Associates.
Combined with December and January, it also was the best three-month period since 2006.
February 2014 net orders were a 27% improvement from the same month in 2013, continuing a string of thirteen consecutive months with year-over-year gains. The last six months of Class 8 order activity annualize to 320,500 units.
“Orders were strong for the third consecutive month and in line with expectations with the market now officially in a growth cycle,” said Don Ake, FTR Vice President of Commercial Vehicles. “The confidence in the industry is picking up steam and we expect 2014 to be a healthy year for Class 8 trucks. The current order activity should begin to put pressure on OEM build rates for Q2 to be more in line with the FTR forecast.”
Final data for February will be available from FTR later in the month as part of its North American Commercial Truck & Trailer Outlook service. To contact FTR, send an email to [email protected] or call (888) 988-1699 ext. 1.