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Dec 5, 2012 10:59 AM

Class 5-7 preliminary net orders for November returned to prevailing trend levels, while Class 8 orders fell from October’s volume that was the best since January, according to ACT Research.

The final numbers, which will be released mid-December, will approach 13,900 units for Class 5-7 and 20,200 for Class 8. The preliminary net order numbers are typically accurate to within 5% of actual.

“The pullback in medium duty was across all three vehicle types,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst, ACT Research. “With a very low factor, seasonal adjustment boosts orders to 14,100 units. Seasonal adjustment trims November’s Class 8 order volume to 19,000 units. The low-end of expectations Class 8 order total is likely tied to short-term demand challenges.

“Those issues include a tax pull forward into Q4, a deferral into Q2 for more fuel-efficient MY’14 units, and the fact that dealer inventories are already reasonably making meaningful stock accumulation in Q1 unlikely.”