ACT Research Co. sounded off on January order numbers, noting that Class 5-8 booked a total of 36,400 vehicles. At 18,200 units in January, NA Class 8 net orders were down 48% against a tough January 2015 comparison. January volume was off 35% versus a better than expected December, making January’s orders the second lowest intake since mid-2012.

The slow but steady trend that has been in evidence for the past several years continued with January’s medium-duty orders. While down 19% from December’s above-trend order volume, January’s Classes 5-7 net orders rose nearly 3% compared to a year ago to 18,200 units.

“Economic reports over the course of January were broadly disappointing, with industrial-related data points particularly soft,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “Ongoing weakness in the freight intensive manufacturing sector continued to weigh on capacity utilization following a year in which Class 8 tractor retail sales fell just short of an all-time record. As a result of the soft supply-demand environment, the lackluster Class 8 order trend that started in late 2015 continued into 2016.”