Class 8 orders in april are up a whopping 37 percent from the same month in 2012, according to numbers released last week by FTR Associates. Truck orders in the month topped 20,000 for the fifth consecutive month and were up 6 percent from March’s numbers.
The last three months show an annualized rate of 270,400 units, a number that includes all major North American truck manufacturers.
FTR says 2013 should, as the numbers indicate, see growth.
“Orders continue to remain at a healthy level, coming in at the high end of our expectations.” says FTR’s Jonathan Starks, director of transportation analysis. “This bodes well for a continuation of the modest growth in equipment sales during 2013. Despite this, our optimism is tempered by the weakness seen in much of the economic data over the last month and by our discussions with fleets. There is no desire to add equipment in the near-term and merely replacing equipment doesn’t create additional equipment demand beyond our current expectations.”
