Trailer orders disappoint in March
According to the latest numbers from FTR, U.S. Trailer net orders for March came in at 13,800 units, down 35% from February and 39% from March 2015. The monthly order activity was the lowest since July 2013, and well below FTR’s expectations. Despite the weak numbers for March, backlogs are down only 6% year-over-year. Dump trailers were the
August Class 8 truck orders at their lowest in two years
FTR has released preliminary data showing August 2015 North American Class 8 truck net orders at 19,550 units, the lowest level since September 2013. Orders for August were down 18% versus July and 22% year-over-year. With the exception of July, which was positively impacted by a new large fleet order, the pace of recent Class
Truck orders down for fourth straight month
FTR, provider of transportation forecasting in North America, has released the preliminary data on truck orders in June 2015. Overall, FTR found that truck orders fell for the fourth straight month to 19,624 units, 25% below a year ago. Class 8 orders, while fairly predictable for the period, were somewhat above the current seasonal trend showing
Kenworth aims to meet fleet needs with T680
Gary Moore, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president, says that there are several economic trends affecting our industry: “U.S. housing starts and automobile production have shown solid growth in 2014. These are important indicators as almost everything needed to build houses and manufacture automobiles is shipped by truck. Those factors, combined with the stronger
Report indicates extreme pressure on available capacity with accompanying rate hikes
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) reports an increased to a reading of 8.49 for July, one of the highest points this year. According to FTR, the high values reflect rising prices and service lapses caused by the current capacity crisis. The TCI could go even higher this fall if the economy accelerates as expected. Truck