For the month of September, 40,700 Class 5-8 vehicle orders were booked, up 7% from August but down 8% compared to September 2014. These numbers are preliminary. Actual numbers will be published in mid-October.
“The year-over-year decline marked the sixth consecutive negative reading for Class 5-8 orders,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. “While we continue to believe that much of the order decline is a reflection of larger backlogs and tough comps, rather than any substantive change in demand, this has become a less compelling piece of evidence, as the spread in the y/y backlog has continued to narrow.
“At 19,600 units in September, NA Class 8 net orders were down 3% from August and 21% below last September. Because orders are typically soft in September, seasonal adjustment provides a healthy boost, raising the month’s seasonally adjusted order total to 23,100 units (277,200 unit SAAR). For the month, NA MD Class 5-7 vehicle net orders rebounded to 21,100 units, up 18% from August and 8% from year-ago September. Seasonal adjustment reduced September’s net order volume to 20,500 units (246,000 SAAR).”