December preliminary North America Class 8 net orders were 36,500 units, slipping 2.1% m/m but up 39% y/y. Complete industry data for December, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-January.

“Strength continues to be the applicable descriptor of Class 8 order activity as the industry looks to 2025. In December, Class 8 orders were in line, slipping 2.1% m/m to 36,500 units,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. “While down from November, orders were up nearly 39% compared to last December’s performance. With the largest seasonal factor of the year, seasonal adjustment is always unkind in December. On a seasonally adjusted basis, Class 8 orders fell 15% from November to 29,700 units, and a 356k SAAR.”

Regarding medium duty, he added, “MD Classes 5-7 orders continue their consistent, if slowly deflating, trajectory into still historically elevated truck and bus backlogs. Preliminary December NA Classes 5-7 orders fell 40% y/y to 16,800 units, down 300 units or -1.9% from November and the third weakest net order tally of 2024.”

ACT’s State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles report provides a monthly look at the current production, sales, and general state of the on-road heavy and medium duty commercial vehicle markets in North America. It differentiates market indicators by Class 5, Classes 6-7 chassis and Class 8 trucks and tractors, detailing activity-related measures such as backlog, build, inventory, new orders, cancellations, net orders, and retail sales.

Additionally, Class 5 and Classes 6-7 are segmented by trucks, buses, RVs, and step van configurations. The Class 8 market is segmented into trucks and tractors, with and without sleeper cabs. The report includes a six-month industry build plan, a backlog timing analysis, historical data from 1996 to the present in spreadsheet format, and a ready-to-use graph package. A first-look at preliminary net orders is also published in conjunction with this report.