Class 8 orders rose for a second consecutive month and remained above 20,000 units for a fourth consecutive month in January, according to the State of the Industry report released by ACT Research Co. (ACT).
Medium-duty orders totaled nearly 14,000 units.
“January is typically a strong order month,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president & senior analyst. “When seasonally adjusted, the month’s net intake for Class 8 dropped to 20,900 units. On that basis, it was the second best order intake in the past 12 months.
“Concerning medium-duty vehicles, demand has continued to move steadily higher through the cycle-to-date. With reduced drag from state and local government spending and the improving outlook for residential investment, demand for MD vehicles is expected to continue trending higher.”