For the first time this year and only the third time in 18 months the demand for Class 8 trucks rose faster than the supply, according to the most recent ACT For-Hire Trucking Index from ACT Research Co., LLC (ACT).

“May showed the first meaningful increase in freight volumes in nine months,” said Steve Tam, ACT’s Vice President-Commercial Vehicle Sector. “However, the balance between supply and demand is still under attack from the widespread macro-inventory overhang.” Fleets in the survey noted that even though freight increased in May, the economy was still soft and there was no seasonal surge that usually occurs in the spring.

ACT is the worldwide 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, as well as the banking and investment community in North America, Europe and China.