March preliminary North America Class 8 net orders were 16,000 units, down 8.3% y/y. Complete industry data for March, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-April.

“The first quarter of 2025 has been defined by one word: uncertainty,” said Carter Vieth, Research Analyst at ACT Research. “Whether the slowdown in orders is a result of moderating economic activity, private fleets’ pausing expansion, or a response to trade and policy uncertainty is difficult to surmise and remains an open question. In March, Class 8 orders decreased 8.3% y/y to 16,000 units. Seasonally adjusted, Class 8 orders were up slightly, increasing 1.1% from February to 16,500 units (198k SAAR), one of the lowest 1-month SAAR readings in almost three years.”

Regarding medium duty, he added, “ACT's preliminary look at March NA Classes 5-7 orders put the month's volume at 18,600 orders, down 33% y/y. Seasonally adjusted, Classes 5-7 orders rose 6.2% m/m to 16,800 units, a 201k SAAR.”

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.