Class 8 orders down in November

Class 8 orders down in November

For the month of November, 35,300 Classes 5-8 vehicle orders were booked, down 26% from October and down 37% from November 2014’s outsized rate of order placements, according to ACT Research Co.

Note that these numbers are preliminary. Actual numbers will be published in mid-November.

At 16,600 units in November, North American Class 8 net orders were nearly 60% lower than a year ago, the same pattern as last month, when Class 8 orders were off 37% year-over-year. “Unfortunately, little of the decline can be accounted for by seasonality,” said Steve Tam, ACT’s vice president—commercial vehicle sector. “November was the weakest Class 8 net order month since August 2010 on a seasonally adjusted basis and September 2012 on an actual basis. A glut of inventory in the broader economy has led to slowing freight and lower freight rates. This, in turn, has caused truckers to hit the pause button on truck orders.”

Contrasting the Class 8 market, solid orders continued for medium-duty Classes 5-7 in November. For the month, N.A. medium-duty vehicle net orders were 18,700. “More prevalent direct exposure to facets of the economy other than those that generate freight has allowed demand for medium-duty vehicles to remain more stable,” said Tam. “Despite falling 15% month over month, the year-over-year and year-to-date comparisons reveal growth in the mid-single-digit percentage point range.”

You May Also Like

Inside the most secret building at Volvo Trucks

What’s no secret is the importance of trucking safety, and Volvo’s goal to reduce accidents across the globe.

Volvo-Trucks-Global-Safety

Black curtains surround the room that's segmented by rolling privacy screens, blocking off the business end of a European Volvo truck (is it an FH? An electric? It's hard to tell.) This is the only area trucking journalists from North America are allowed in. The rest of the building, named Lundby, high-tech center for research and development at Volvo Trucks headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, is off-limits. Even several of the Gothenburg-based Volvo Trucks employees that are presenting haven't been allowed in this building before. But what we're here to talk about is anything but a secret.

PrePass comes to four new states, adds 116 sites

With this expansion, the PrePass Safety Alliance says fleets with the PrePass app now have 20 percent more bypass sites nationwide.

PrePass-logo-large
XL Specialized Trailers launches Knight MFG trailer

The Knight, a 48-ft.-long detachable gooseneck lowboy with an overall capacity of 80,000 lbs., is now available form XL dealers.

XL-Specialized-Trailers-Knight
How fleet management tools can help increase fuel efficiency

From fleet cards to EVs and data, all work together to help save on costs.

generic-fuel-efficiency-fleet
Orders open for new Volvo VNL

Production will start later this summer, and Volvo expects customer deliveries to begin later this year.

Volvo-VA-facility-VNL-order-books-open

Other Posts

Interact Analysis: HRS construction in China lags behind 2025 target

Some areas currently have a ratio of nearly 140 commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for each hydrogen refueling station.

Interact-Analysis-Hyrdogen-stations-china-HRS-Graph3
Trade Show Talk: Trends kicking off 2024

Alternative fuels, connectivity, efficiency—there’s been plenty to report on from trucking trade shows, but which topics stuck out most?

trade-show-Talk-work-truck-week-tmc-geotab-connect-hdaw
Kenworth names 2024 Dealer, Parts Council members

Kenworth selected executives representing 480 dealerships for its Dealer Council, and named eight members for its Parts Council.

Kenworth-Names-2024-Dealer-Council-Supports-Worlds-Best-Customer-Experience
ACT Research data shows Class 8 order surge paused

At a seasonally adjusted 17,100 units, March marks the first month since May 2023 for seasonally adjusted activity below 20,000 units.

ACT-March-24-Class-8-order-surge-pauses