FTR reported that Class 8 orders for September at 31,200 units, up 94% versus August and down 45% year-over-year. FTR said that both the month-over-month increase and the year-over-year decrease were well within its expectations given that build slots have opened for 2024 production and that the market continues to normalize after last year’s exceptional order volumes. Total Class 8 orders for the previous 12 months have equaled 270,000 units.
 
“Build slots have opened for 2024 production, and fleets are placing orders at a solid pace. Although a large increase in September was expected due to available build slots, it is still a positive indicator for the industry. We saw increases across the board versus August – another indication that this is a broad-based gain for the market,” said Eric Starks, FTR’s chairman of the board. “Despite the weakness in the overall freight market, fleets continue to be willing to order new equipment. We did not anticipate matching the level of orders that we saw this time last year, but increasing orders confirm our expectations of replacement demand in 2024.”