COLUMBUS, Ind. – Preliminary North American (NA) Class 8 net orders in February were 21,000 units, staying flat since January, while NA Classes 5-7 net orders rose to 18,300 units.
ACT’s State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles report provides a monthly look at the current production, sales and general state of the on-road heavy and medium duty commercial vehicle markets in North America.
The Class 8 market is segmented into trucks and tractors, with and without sleeper cabs. The report includes a six-month industry build plan, a backlog timing analysis, historical data from 1996 to the present in spreadsheet format, and a ready-to-use graph package. A first-look at preliminary net orders is also published in conjunction with this report.
“Constrained production capabilities and long backlogs continue to impede new order activity,” Kenny Vieth, ACT president and senior analyst, said. “Based on preliminary February inputs, North American Classes 5-8 net orders were essentially flat compared to January. While order weakness is attributable to supply constraints, the ground rules of data collection play a part: The OEMs only report orders that are scheduled to be built within 12 months. With backlogs effectively stretching 12 months, and with limited forward visibility, order volumes have largely been mirroring production activity.”
Vieth said that with critical industry demand drivers at, or near, record levels, industry strength should be measured with long backlog lead-times, rather than in tepid new order activity.
Complete industry data for February, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-March.
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