FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index reads favorable for shippers
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) continued to improve for the fourth consecutive month to a reading of 4.7 in February. The measure will remain relatively positive for shippers in 2016 before starting a steady move downward towards year end and likely lasting through 2018 as a regulatory-driven capacity crunch takes hold, save any onset of
Once again, truck sales drop
Across the truck industry, sales numbers have been dropping. Preliminary numbers are in for April, and according to both FTR and ACT Research Co., heavy-duty sales are down for the month. ACT’s preliminary numbers show 33,800 new orders from Classes 5-8 (13,700 from Class 8 and 20,100 from Classes 5-7). That’s a 16% drop from March and a
Final numbers for March used truck sales are a mixed bag
Used Class 8 truck metrics continued to be mixed in March, according to the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, published by ACT Research. “March Class 8 used truck volumes, up 8% month-over-month, continued their upward trek, following a significant recovery last month from January’s low. This, however,
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
Natural gas truck sales numbers see modest improvement
U.S. and Canadian natural gas Class 8 truck retail sales improved modestly in February, after getting off to a slow start in 2016, according to a recent report from ACT Research. The “Natural Gas Quarterly” attributes this to a high number of natural gas (NG) vehicle repeat sales, despite the continuing low cost of diesel
Class 8 orders drop in March
Class 8 orders dropped 10% month over month and 35% year over year in March, to a total of 16,354 units. Medium duty net orders totaled 13,242, down 3% from February, but up 10% year over year. These results were published in the latest State of the Industry report from ACT Research Co. “Medium and heavy demand
Class 8 capacity continues to be higher than demand
The supply of Class 8 trucks continues to rise faster than demand for trucks, according to the most recent ACT For-Hire Trucking Index from ACT Research Co. “The capacity index [supply] rose faster than the freight index [demand] for the seventh consecutive month and the twelfth time in the past fourteen months in March,” said
FTR Trucking Conditions Index continues to fall
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) continued to soften in February due to a weakening of the freight environment early in 2016. The current reading at 8.27, as seen in the above chart, reflects FTR’s forecast for a slowdown in truck loadings from an average of 4% thus far in the recovery to 2% for full
March Class 8 orders at lowest level since September 2012
FTR has released preliminary data showing that March 2016 North American Class 8 truck net orders fell for the third consecutive month to 15,800 units, the lowest level since September 2012. March 2016 orders were 12% below February and down 37% year-over-year, the weakest month of March since 2010. Class 8 orders have now totaled
Class 8 truck orders fall in March
For the month of March, 37,700 new Classes 5-8 vehicle orders were booked, according to the latest preliminary numbers from ACT Research Co. Class 8 garnered 16,000 orders and for Classes 5-7, 21,700 orders were placed. “Medium-duty [MD] and heavy-duty [HD] demand, as mirrored by new order activity, remain on divergent paths that are tracking
February trailer orders up 21% from January
FTR reports U.S. Trailer net orders for February at 21,300 units, a 21% increase from January and up 2% year-over-year. The significant improvement in February trailers orders was somewhat better than anticipated considering the sturdy backlogs currently at trailer OEMs, according to FTR. After strong order activity in late 2015, trailer orders for the past
ACT Research finds U.S. trailer orders and production up in March
Trailer net orders rose 26% month-over-month and 3.5% year-over-year according to ACT Research Co.’s most recent State of the Industry report. “Large fleets continue to drive the market, and low cancellations show that orders are firm,” said Frank Maly, ACT’s director of CV transportation analysis and research. “Trailer production was up 4% year-over-year. The industry continues to see a rebound
