FTR reports preliminary North American Class 8 orders for April at 16,400 units, 52% below April 2018. This is the fourth consecutive month for Class 8 orders to be below the 20,000 mark and is the lowest April total since 2016. Orders have remained consistent for the first four months of the year, tracking within a narrow 1,000-unit range, with April just 5% up from March, FTR reports. Class 8 orders for the past 12 months now total 380,000 units.
Fleets continue to search for open build slots in the 2019 production schedule. Backlogs remain fluid with orders being rescheduled, often opening up build slots in the near term. FTR expects this type of order pattern continuing until ordering for 2020 begins.
“Near-term build slots are becoming available as fleets rearrange orders based on current needs,” said Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles. “There still is limited cancellation activity, as fleets do not want to give up build slots they may need at a later date. They remember what happened last year when they needed trucks, but could not get enough of them.”
