COLUMBUS, Ind. — Final North American Class 8 net orders totaled 16,951 units in August, up 32% year-over-year but down 34% month-over-month on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to ACT Research’s latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report.
“While sequential weakness in Class 8 orders is in line with normal patterns for this time of year, robust year-over-year gains highlight the continued influence of supply-side freight market constraints and regulatory clarity,” said Carter Vieth, research analyst, ACT. “With spot freight rates up sharply and fleets gaining more planning visibility around EPA 2027 and non-compliance penalties, we expect order activity to rebound as seasonality improves and new year orderboards open.”
Order activity in August reflected typical late-summer seasonality, as well as the impact of full 2026 backlogs and not-yet-open 2027 orderboards.
“Despite increased macroeconomic uncertainty and elevated diesel prices, demand for new equipment remains solid, particularly in the tractor segment, where orders were up 39% year-over-year,” Vieth said. “Medium-duty order strength appears to be supported by dealer inventory stocking ahead of regulatory changes and higher prices.”
Total Classes 5-7 orders rose 37% from a year ago, reaching 19,966 units.
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