Class 8 orders dropped 10% month over month and 35% year over year in March, to a total of 16,354 units. Medium duty net orders totaled 13,242, down 3% from February, but up 10% year over year. 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.

“Medium and heavy demand trends continue to follow the sectors of the economy that drive their respective cycles,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “For medium duty vehicles, the consumer economy continues to produce good outcomes as job and income growth support healthy demand for big-ticket durable goods and housing. For Class 8, there are too many trucks chasing insufficient freight. Low prices across the commodity spectrum have rolled back investment, cutting demand for machinery. In addition, the strength of the U.S. dollar has made U.S. manufactured goods less competitive in global markets,” Vieth said. He added that the March net order volume for Class 8 was lower than had been seen since late 2012.

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.