October’s North American Class 8 truck net orders were 45,795 units—the second-highest order month ever recorded, resulting in 87% month-over-month and 76% year-over-year comparisons, according to preliminary data released by FTR.
The large order increases were not evenly distributed among OEMs, with some experiencing a higher influx of orders than others. Class 8 orders for the latest six-month period now through October annualize to 354,000 units, a major increase from the previous 6-month period ending in September.
Said Don Ake, FTR Vice President of Commercial Vehicles, “The huge amount of orders was driven by several very large fleets placing orders to be built throughout 2015. This is the result of the industry operating near full capacity and fleets having confidence that freight growth will remain strong for the entire year in 2015. They want to lock in their orders now to guarantee future deliveries.
“We will be evaluating the second half of the 2015 forecast in light of the confidence reflected in this large order volume.”
Final data for October 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.