Preliminary data for Class 8 truck orders in November shows a 14 percent month-over-month drop from October and a 3 percent year-over-year drop, according to numbers from FTR Associates released this week.
The total number of net orders for the month was 19,683 — the second highest month since March — which brings the annualized number to 236,200 units. The data covers all major North American manufacturers.
“We have been forecasting a sub-240,000 unit production year for 2013 since June of this year and it appears that the market is confirming what we were seeing back then in late Spring,” says FTR’s Jon Starks. “There is no big push to get year-end delivery prior to the depreciation expiration on December 31. We need to see stronger orders to finish the year and start 2013 if we want to get more bullish on the market.”
