According to ACT Research Co., Class 8 orders stayed strong in April, totaling 34,735 units and remaining well above industry capacity.

“As has been the case through the past seven months of rising backlog, the U.S. and Canada were the primary drivers of April’s market strength. Canada was the only market to experience a month-over-month gain, and the 5,815 units booked represented the country’s largest monthly order intake since early 2006,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “At the North American level, tractors and trucks both saw net orders decelerate at roughly comparable levels in April, with tractor orders down 25% from March, while vocational activity slid 26%. After a strong March, Class 8 production took a step backward in April.”

Medium-duty orders, meanwhile, fell slightly to 24,917 units, but remained strong year-over-year, now being up 25% compared to the first four months of 2017.

“The heavier end of the medium duty market continues to outperform the lighter end, with Class 5 orders in April improving 4% year-to-date and the Classes 6 and7 April orders bringing that segment’s YTD rise to 37%,” Vieth noted.