Preliminary NA Class 8 net orders in February were 23,600 units, up 13 percent year over year (+27 percent month over month), while NA Classes 5-7 net orders were 17,500 units. Complete industry data for February, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-March.

“We do not forecast orders, but given how robust Class 8 orders were into year end, coupled with cautious readings from the ACT Class 8 Dashboard, we noted at Seminar 68 that we expect SA orders in a range of 15,000-20,000 in the near term,” said Eric Crawford, ACT’s Vice President and Senior Analyst. “Thus, February’s SA 22,400 represents a modest upside to our expectation. Combined with January, SA orders have averaged 19,700 units year to date.”

He added, “MD demand took a modest step down. February Classes 5-7 orders declined 11 percent year over year (-2 percent month over month) to 17,500 units. The seasonally adjusted February intake, at 16,400 units, declined 12 percent year over year (-9 percent month over month).”