COLUMBUS, Ind. — Final North American Class 8 net orders totaled 24,675 units in April, down 24% m/m, as published in ACT Research’s latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report.
“April signifies the beginning of lower order seasonality until 2027 orderboards open in September,” said Carter Vieth, research analyst, ACT. “Due to last April’s ‘Liberation Day’ impacting orders, y/y comparisons this month are arguably uninformative, with m/m comparisons the better metric this month. Tractor orders totaled 16,807 units, down 21% m/m on seasonality. The surge in orders the past six months boils down to improved spot and contract rates and regulatory clarity. Vocational Class 8 orders totaled 7,868 units, down 29% m/m, but given seasonality and last month’s historically strong order month, the pull back from March levels is unsurprising.”
Regarding medium duty, Vieth noted that total Classes 5-7 orders rose 29% y/y to 16,801 units (17.5k SA), partially on easy comps, but perhaps also reflecting continued consumer resilience despite the war, as well as some regulatory-driven dealer inventory stocking.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
