FTR Associates on Tuesday, July 7, released preliminary data showing Class 8 total net orders for all major North American OEMs totaling 8,101 units in June, an increase of 9.7 percent from May and the first improvement in three months. The figure includes orders for the United States, Canada, Mexico and exports. However, June 2009 orders were down 52.7 percent versus the same month in 2008.
Orders were placed at an annualized rate of 97,212, which is an improvement over the past three-month annualized rate of 94,872 units. “June’s increase is a welcome sign that the heavy-duty market continues to stabilize, although at very low levels,” says Eric Starks, president of FTR Associates, based in Nashville, Ind. “We expect to see additional slow improvement through the end of the year, but meaningful increases in equipment purchases will necessarily await higher freight demand. We do not foresee more freight moving for some time yet.”
Final data for July will be available from FTR Associates later in the month as part of its North American Commercial Truck & Trailer Outlook service. The company’s U.S. Freight Model collects and analyzes all data likely to impact freight movement and is based on specific characteristics for more than 200 commodity groups. FTR Associates’ forecast reports cover trucking and rail transportation and include demand analysis for commercial vehicle as well as railcar. Specially designed reports are offered to participants in both industries to cover specific needs.
