Softer orders and a continuation of strong build caused the Class 8 backlog to fall nearly 8,000 units to 106,407 units in April. This updated status 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.
 
“Heavy duty orders continued to disappoint in April,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst at ACT. “However, OEM build plans remain aggressive. For those build plans to come to pass, orders need to recover sooner, rather than later,” he added. “A continuation of reasonable freight growth, strong trucker profits, and healthy used truck prices are expected to support demand once the current period of uncertainty is worked through.”

ACT is the leading publisher of new and used commercial vehicle (CV) industry data, market analysis and forecasting services for the North American market, as well as the U.S. tractor-trailer market and the China CV market. ACT’s CV services are used by all major North American truck and trailer manufacturers and their suppliers, and worldwide banking and investment companies. For more information on ACT, please visit ACT Research.