U.S. Class 8 orders climb in June

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Fleet Owner  /  July 6, 2017

While medium-duty orders slipped overall in June, volume remains strong year-over-year.

Orders for new Class 8 trucks rebounded in June after a falloff in May, and though they are lower quarter-over-quarter, year-over-year Class 8 order comparisons are “positive by a wide margin,” noted one industry analyst.

“While orders are weak relative to year-to-date activity, June’s orders were up 39% compared to last year,” he said.

Class 8 orders rebounded to 18,100 units in June, and because of a “deep seasonal trend” that runs through Class 8 orders, seasonal adjustment provides a “significant boost” to June’s volume.

“When adjusted, the June volume rises to 20,200 units,” he said.

FTR Transportation Intelligence reported similar numbers and trends as it pegged preliminary Class 8 net orders for June at 17,600 units; a month-over-month improvement of 7% and 38% better than June of 2016. 

“The Class 8 market continues to perform at a steady pace and is consistent with summer’s seasonal trends [with] total orders for the past twelve months totaling 216,000 units,” noted Don Ake, FTR’s vice president of commercial vehicles, in a statement.

“June orders confirm that the market just took a brief respite in May after several stronger than expected months,” he added. “The orders are right where we expect them to be and on track with our forecast. The fact that orders are up 38% over last year proves the market is much improved this year.”

Ake pointed out that the uptick in orders in June also shows that the Class 8 new truck market “is steady, stable and primed for a strong year in 2018.”

In terms of medium-duty trucks, ACT’s Vieth said North American orders for Class 5-7 units dipped to 20,200 units in June, down 1,500 units from May. Yet he stressed that “seasonal adjustment” boosts June’s medium-duty order volume up to 22,700 units, roughly in-line with May’s seasonally adjusted tally of 22,800 units.

Overall, North American Class 5-7 orders were up 34% compared to June of 2016, he added.

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U.S. Truck Orders Fall for the Quarter, Up Big from Last Year

Heavy Duty Trucking  /  July 7, 2017

Truck orders in the heavy- and medium-duty segments fell in the second quarter of 2017, but are still much higher than they were a year ago.

Class 5-8 orders for the second quarter hit 43,000 units, up more than 37% year-over-year but down 6.5% from the unexpectedly positive first quarter of the year. The numbers are still preliminary for June; final data will be published in mid-July.

Class 8 orders alone jumped to 18,100 units in June, increasing 1,200 units from May. This represents an increase of 39% compared to June of last year.

“Because of a deep seasonal trend that runs through Class 8 orders, seasonal adjustment provides a significant boost to June’s orders,” said one analyst. ”When adjusted, the June volume rises to 20,200 units.”

Class 5-7 medium-duty truck orders moderated from May, slipping 1,500 units to 20,200 units in June. This was up 34% compared to last June’s order intake.

“Seasonal adjustment boosts June’s MD order volume to 22,700 units, roughly in line with May’s seasonally adjusted tally (22.8k),” he said. “In the second quarter, Classes 5-7 orders were booked at a 255k SAAR, down from a 274k SAAR in Q1.”