COLUMBUS, Ind. — Preliminary March net orders for North American Class 8 tractors came in at 17,300 units, down 10,400 units from February and 18.7% from a year ago, according to ACT Research.
“Nascent improvements in the freight market and select OEMs’ efforts to smooth demand, notwithstanding forced conservatism among a portion of the truck buying populace, capped Class 8 order activity in March,” said Steve Tam, ACT’s vice president and analyst. “While we will have to wait for the details of the month’s order volumes, logic suggests waning demand for tractors in the market retrenched in March.”
A middle-of-the-pack seasonal factor –1.3% — places March’s intake to 17,100 units, down 8.6% from February.
Additionally, March marks the first month since May 2023 for seasonally-adjusted activity below 20,000 units, ACT reports.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
