January preliminary North America Class 8 net orders were 25,800 units, down 30% m/m and 5% y/y. Complete industry data for January, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-February.

“While January orders took a step down from the recent trend, strength continues to be the applicable descriptor of Class 8 order activity. In January, Class 8 orders dropped 5.1% y/y to 25,800 units,” shared Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. He continued, “While down narrowly from last January, orders were down 30% against a seasonally stronger December. Seasonally adjusted, Class 8 orders fell 22% from December to 23,300 units, and a 279k SAAR. Over the past six months, orders have been booked at a 332,000-unit SAAR.”

Regarding medium duty, he added, “MD Classes 5-7 orders continue their slowly deflating trajectory into still historically elevated truck and bus backlogs. ACT's preliminary look at January NA Classes 5-7 orders puts the month's volume at 15,100 orders, down 21% y/y and 10% below December's intake.”

ACT’s State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 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 measures such as backlog, build, inventory, new orders, cancellations, net orders, and retail sales.