In August, 37,200 Class 5-8 vehicle orders were booked, down 8% from July and down 14% compared to August 2014, according to ACT Research. These numbers are preliminary. Actual numbers will be published in mid-September.
“The year-over-year decline marked the fifth consecutive negative reading for Classes 5-8 orders,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. “However, we continue to believe that much of the order decline is a reflection of larger backlogs and tough comps, rather than any substantive change in demand.
“Class 8 orders were 19,700 units, 20% below July orders and 22% below August 2014. Because August is typically the second-weakest order month of the year, seasonal adjustment raises the month’s volume to 22,600 units. North American Class 5-7 vehicle orders rebounded in August to 17,500 units. This result was up 10% from July, but down 3% compared to last August. Historically, August is an above-average order month for medium-duty vehicles, so seasonal adjustment actually reduces August’s medium-duty order volume to 17,200 units.”