Medium- and heavy-duty classes 5-8 orders were at healthy levels again in September. Class 5-7 net orders, at 19,486, rose to their third strongest level since early 2008. Total net orders for Class 8 were 24,842 units, up 31 percent year over year. These results were published in the latest State of the Industry report, recently released by ACT Research Co. (ACT). The report covers Classes 5 through 8 vehicles for the North American market.

Compared to same time last year, net orders for Class 5-7 orders were up 15 percent.

“Within [the medium-duty] segment of the market, trucks fell 4 percent year-over-year, but buses rose 156 percent and RVs rose 31 percent year over year,” he said. “With housing activity generally trending sideways in recent months, so too have medium-duty orders and backlogs.

“The past few weeks have seen volatility in equity markets, but key economic and freight data points relating to commercial vehicle demand continue to trend positive,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. Speaking to the strength in Class 8 order activity, Vieth noted, “Through year-to-date September, net orders have been booked at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 349,000 units, a rate above the 328,000 orders booked in the past 12 months.”