Preliminary Class 8 net orders for July were 18,300 units, 5% better than last month and a “positive trend” for the rest of the year, according to Don Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles at FTR.
Orders increased for the second month in a row, a positive sign during the summer months. The market remains stable, but is moving in a positive direction. This is consistent with the FTR forecast. Orders for the past 12 months total 224,000 units.
“This is a great sign to see orders rising, even slightly, in mid-summer,” said Don Ake, Vice President of Commercial Vehicles at FTR. “This is the beginning of a positive trend that we expect to continue the rest of this year, right into 2018. The Class 8 market is starting to move upward and orders are forecasted to accelerate in the fall.
“Freight is on the upswing and industry capacity is tightening. The equipment markets, both Class 8 and trailers, are starting to respond to this environment.”
Final data for June will be available from FTR later in the month as part of its North American Commercial Truck & Trailer Outlook service.