Preliminary September Class 5-8 Orders Exceed Expectations: ACT

Oct. 5, 2011
North American Class 5-8 commercial vehicle preliminary net orders for September improved month-over-month beyond expectations, as reported by ACT Research Co., LLC

North American Class 5-8 commercial vehicle preliminary net orders for September improved month-over-month beyond expectations, as reported by ACT Research Co., LLC (ACT).

The final numbers, which will be released mid-October, will approach 23,800 units for Class 8 trucks and 13,800 for Class 5-7 vehicles. Both vehicle categories also posted positive year-over-year gains. The preliminary net order numbers are typically accurate to within 5% of actual.

“The strength in orders is indicative of healthy underlying fundamentals in the heavy truck market,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “Fleet equipment is old, trucker profitability is good, and used truck values are strong; barring an economic collapse, these factors should support continued strength in Class 8 orders.”