Inflation, interest rates, recession and supply chains still overarching themes
According to ACT Research’s (ACT) latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 Report, surging inflation, the Fed hiking interest rates into a potential recession, and supply-chain disruptions remain overarching themes. According to Kenny Vieth, ACT Research’s President and Senior Analyst, “The prospect of a US recession has grown materially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and
Time to embrace some EV realities
There’s a moment when you’ve been working toward something where that “something” becomes very real and all the excitement you used to feel about it takes a back seat to the challenges that lie ahead. Moving forward means taking a deep breath, swallowing hard and remembering why you started down this path in the first
Mild recession now base case in forecasting of NA CV markets
According to ACT’s latest release of the North American Commercial Vehicle OUTLOOK, ACT lowered their GDP forecast, but continues to believe there is enough pent-up demand, and built-up purchasing power among consumers, albeit mitigated by inflation, to support growth in 2022. ACT’s analysts also believe tighter monetary policy will lead to GDP contraction in the first half
Used Class 8 retail sales volumes, average age higher in May, while price, miles slightly lower
According to the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, published by ACT Research, used Class 8 retail volumes (same dealer sales) were 8% higher month-over-month. Longer term, volumes were down 38% y/y. Average price and miles were each down 2% compared to April, but average price rose 64%
ZF appoints Dr. Holger Klein Chairman, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG
Dr. Holger Klein, Member of the Board of Management responsible for the Asia-Pacific region, Car Chassis Technology Division, Aftermarket and Production, succeeds Wolf-Henning Scheider as Chairman and CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG at the turn of the year 2022/2023. At the same time, Dr. Peter Laier will join the Board of Management to lead the
Industry’s ability to meet demand still impacted by supply-chain constraints
According to ACT Research’s (ACT) latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 Report, Russia/China supply-chain disruptions, raging inflation, higher interest rates, and recession potential continue to dominate the narrative. “Russian commodities remain locked out of Western markets, Ukraine remains besieged, and China continues to struggle with COVID and lockdowns,” Eric Crawford, vice president and senior analyst,
Supply chain challenged but improving, negotiations for 2023 underway
The U.S. trailer OEMs are rapidly filling available 2022 production slots, with both dry van and reefer build-to-backlog stretching deep into December, according to this quarter’s issue of ACT Research’s Trailer Components Report. “Overall, we expect orders and production to travel in lockstep until 2023 order boards officially open,” said Frank Maly, director–commercial vehicle transportation analysis
Volvo Keith Brandis recognized for leadership in the Volvo LIGHTS project
Volvo Group North America’s Keith Brandis, vice president of system solutions and partnerships, was presented the Industry Distinguished Service Award by the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT). Brandis (pictured above, left) was recognized for his contributions and leadership in several innovative transport initiatives, including the award-winning
What does the heavy-duty repair industry look like?
That’s one of the questions we asked ourselves as we dove into our second edition of the State of Heavy-Duty Repair. Our goal was to provide a deep dive into the industry, and to do this we surveyed hundreds of shop owners, fleet managers, technicians, and others across the United States and Canada. We think
Photo gallery: Walk through Navistar’s new San Antonio manufacturing plant
Navistar rolled out the red carpet to cut the Navistar-orange ribbon, announcing the opening of the truck manufacturer’s San Antonio Manufacturing Plant–a more than $250 million investment that broke ground in June 2020 on a nearly 1-million square-foot plant has the capacity to produce Class 6-8 vehicles. I had the chance to walk the line
