Class 8 net orders were just over 31,100 units in January (up 7% y/y) and Classes 5-7 posted 19,700 net orders (up 2% y/y). These results were published in the latest State of the Industry report, recently released by ACT Research Co. (ACT). The report covers Classes 5 through 8 vehicles for the North American market.

Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst, noted that February’s Class 8 orders marked the 25th consecutive month of year-over-year gains. “Although February’s order volume qualifies as the weakest month in the past five, on a seasonally adjusted basis it also represents of ninth consecutive month of orders over 28,000,” he said. Vieth added that the 2015 build schedule is filling rapidly, so “it is unlikely that this string of robust order activity can extend much beyond April/May.”

Concerning medium duty, Vieth said, “After hitting a soft-patch through the middle of 2014, medium duty orders have been above year-ago results in five of the past six months, even against a tough year-ago February comparison. Strong orders and below expectations build helped to boost the medium duty backlog-to-build ratio to 3.2 months, the highest reading in nearly five years.”

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.