COLUMBUS, Ind. – Final North American Class 8 net orders totaled 17.9k units in February, down 35% y/y, according to ACT Research.
“Economic uncertainty, fueled by the current administration’s policy/behavior, has largely stalled business planning,” said Carter Vieth, research analyst at ACT. “Tractors orders of 11.2k units are down 42% y/y, which is likely attributable to private fleets stopping capacity additions after two years of strong demand, coupled with still weak for-hire carrier profitability.”
Vocational Trucks
Vocational truck orders decreased 19% y/y, totaling 6.2k units.
“While we began the new year bullish on the vocational market, with EPA’27 on the horizon, and $2 trillion in stimulus money paving the way for infrastructure and construction growth, the political winds haven’t so much shifted as sheered in the opposite direction,” Vieth said. “Stimulus money is frozen and significant changes to EPA’27 are now in play. These changes, if followed through, are headwinds to vocational demand.”
Medium Duty
“Total Classes 5-7 orders decreased 13% y/y to 16.6k units,” Vieth said. “MD orders have slowed across the past four months, as current bloated MD truck inventories weigh on new orders.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
