Slightly lowered forecasts, impact on freight economy deepens
In the release of its Commercial Vehicle Dealer Digest, ACT Research reported slightly lowered forecasts due to the Fed’s continued action toward inflation, disproportionally impacting the freight economy. According to Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst, ACT, “ACT’s forecasts into the medium term move incrementally lower this month on the continued deterioration of economic expectations: Inflation
Trucking business conditions winning battle with interest rate hikes, for now
According to ACT Research’s (ACT) latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report, current economic conditions are proving resilient in the face of aggressive interest rate hikes. Heavy duty and medium duty net orders both took giant steps up from August levels in September, both on a nominal as well as seasonally adjusted basis. “For now,
ACT Research notes a slump in For-Hire Trucking Index
The latest release of ACT’s For-Hire Trucking Index, showed volume, productivity, and the supply-demand balance all declined in September. The ACT For-Hire Trucking Index is a monthly survey of for-hire trucking service providers. Concerning volume, Tim Denoyer, Vice President & Senior Analyst at ACT Research, commented, “It’s getting choppier out there, with more variance between freight data sets.
ACT Research: Strong September preliminary US trailer net orders; 2023 order board filling fast
Preliminary reports show that net trailer orders in September were 25,700 units, up about 45% from August, but around 10% lower than the same month last year. Final September results will be available later this month. This preliminary market estimate should be within +/-3% of the final order tally. ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S.
ACT Research: September Class 8 orders highest monthly total ever
Preliminary NA Class 8 net orders in September were 53,700 units, while NA Classes 5-7 net orders were 26,600 units. Complete industry data for September, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-October. “The strength in orders reflects OEMs’ having fully opened their orderboards for 2023 a bit earlier than normal,
OEMs surmount supply disruptions, trailer demand endures
August net US trailer orders of 17,777 units were 4.6% higher compared to last month, but more than 37.7% above the year-ago August level, according to this month’s issue of ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report. “Discussions across the past month indicate more OEMs opening 2023 build slots, some opening initial slots, others expanding
ACT Research’s Class 8 Tractor Dashboard rises after four negative months
According to ACT Research’s recently released Transportation Digest, the top line on the Class 8 Tractor Dashboard improved in July to a neutral -2 reading, closing out four consecutive months of moderately downbeat readings. The report, which combines proprietary ACT data and analysis from a wide variety of sources, paints a comprehensive picture of trends impacting transportation
The good news and bad news about the state of the trucking industry
ACT Research recently hosted their industry update concerning the state of economics, transportation and commercial vehicles. The abundance of forecasts, statistics and charts can feel like information overload, so let us give you the run-down. Presented by Kenny Veith, president and senior analyst; Eric Crawford, vice president and senior analyst; Steve Tam, vice president and
Interest rate hikes persist, optimism for taming inflation wanes
According to ACT Research’s latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report, persistent inflation, continued interest rate hikes, and the potential for recession remain overarching themes. Although themes remain the same as last month, the biggest change is in ACT’s declining optimism that inflation can be easily tamed. “On the bright side, supply-chain disruptions continue to
August preliminary US trailer net orders rising
Preliminary reports show that net trailer orders in August were 17,700 units, up about 6% from July, but a significant 39% higher than the same month last year, according to ACT Research. Final August results will be available later this month. This preliminary market estimate should be within +/-3% of the final order tally. “With
Despite likely inbound recession, factors continue to dull sharp truck downturn
According to ACT Research’s latest release of the North American Commercial Vehicle Outlook, forecasts this month are essentially unchanged from last month. Demand remains healthy, production remains constrained by supply-chain disruptions and tight labor markets, and freight rates and volumes managed to squeeze out small improvements. “We’re hardly at the ‘edge of the cliff’ stage when it
August US used truck data is messy in the details
Preliminary used Class 8 retail volumes (same dealer sales) increased 43% month-over-month but were 15% lower compared to August of 2021, according to the latest preliminary release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks published by ACT Research. Other data released in ACT’s preliminary report included month-over-month comparisons for August 2022, which showed
