Truck orders approach two-year high in September

Oct. 22, 2010
Net orders of heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicles were 15,231, up 37% from September of 2009, the second highest monthly total for the past two years, according to ACT Research Co

Net orders of heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicles were 15,231, up 37% from September of 2009, the second highest monthly total for the past two years, according to ACT Research Co. (ACT).

“Not only was September the second best order month, the uptick in orders occurred in what is typically a below average-month. Apply September’s seasonal factor, and Class 8 net orders occurred at a nearly 200,000 unit annual rate,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst. “This level of orders is a continuation of the steady increase in demand we have seen building since early this year.”

But while Class 8 orders were growing, orders for Class 5-7 trucks moved in the opposite direction. A fall-off in school bus orders in September was the primary driver of both sequential and year over year declines in Classes 5-7 vehicle net orders, down 27% from September 2009. When looking at just the truck piece of the Classes 5-7 market, September net orders were up 17% from a year-ago.

Details are available in the latest release of the State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles. ACT can be contacted at http://www.actresearch.net.