Class 8 orders in November fell to 20,200 — according to preliminary data from ACT Research — a 15 percent drop from October’s number, which saw the highest number of truck orders year to date.
Orders for medium-duty trucks — Classes 5-7 — dropped to 13,900 in November from 19,285 in October.
“The low-end of expectations [for] Class 8 order total is likely tied to short-term demand challenges. Those issues include a tax pull forward into Q4, a deferral into Q2 for more fuel efficient [model-year 2014] units, and the fact that dealer inventories are already reasonably making meaningful stock accumulation in Q1 unlikely,” says ACT’s Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst.
These numbers mirror those released by FTR Associates last week.
