Class 8 new and net orders continued to soften in September as the perceived threat of bad economic news impacts potential truck buyers. This updated status of the North America commercial vehicle market was included in the State of the Industry report, recently released by ACT Research Co. (ACT). The report covers Class 5 through 8 vehicles for the North American market.
 
“However, despite the constant barrage of conflicting economic news, truckers are still ordering and buying and OEMs are still building and selling,” said Steve Tam, vice president-commercial vehicle sector at ACT. “Even with soft order intake and reduced build schedules, the industry is on track to produce 280,000 to 284,000 trucks in North America this year, an increase of 11% over 2011. It’s tough to stop the wheels of commerce from rolling.” Tam added that economic news is still taking its toll on buyers who appear to only show up at the last minute to order needed trucks.