Class 8 used truck sales see month-over-month jump
Total reported volumes of used Class 8 trucks climbed to 2,770 units in March, a jump of 14% month over month and 5% year over year, according to ACT Research’s State of the Industry report. “All three markets—auctions, wholesale, and retail—gained month over month,” said Steve Tam, vice president-commercial vehicle sector with ACT. “The downside,
March Class 8 orders fall, Class 5-7 trending up
Class 8 net orders were just over 24,600 units in March, while Classes 5-7 posted 20,800 net orders, according to the latest research released by ACT Research Co. Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst, said that “seasonally adjusted, March’s Class 8 tally was the second lowest in the past sixteen months, but context is
Heavy-duty natural gas truck market stalls
Truckers are ordering new equipment in record numbers but are not turning to natural gas fueled trucks as fast as had been projected two years ago, according to a new report from ACT Research. The new report, Natural Gas Quarterly, attributes the rapidly declining cost of diesel with making the return on investment for adoption
Weak trailer orders for March
March 2015 U.S. trailer net orders were 22,000 units, up 7% month-over-month but down 25% year-over-year, according to the latest report from FTR. Orders continue to weaken “primarily because fleets have already placed their 2015 requirements,” the report stated. Trailer build increased 7.5% per day versus February with backlogs falling, “albeit still at a high level,”
February trucking index ‘modestly positive’
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index for February at 7.4 reflects a softening in capacity utilization due to the hours of service suspension and fluctuating diesel prices, the research firm stated. FTR expects the TCI to rise into the summer months and beyond, and expects it could hit double digit positive readings before 2016 as the industry
Class 8 truck orders hit lowest level since September 2014
FTR has released preliminary data showing March 2015 North American Class 8 truck net orders at 24,780 units, the lowest level since September 2014, according to the company. March orders reflected the first negative year-over-year comparison since January 2013. Order levels were somewhat disappointing with FTR anticipating a continued fall in order activity following seasonal
March truck orders fall below 50,000 unit mark
March was the first month in the past six months in which Class 5-8 medium- and heavy-duty orders fell below the 50,000 unit mark, according to ACT Research. For the month, 44,700 Class 5-8 preliminary vehicle orders were booked, down 2% compared to March 2014. “As expected, Class 8 order activity moderated into March as
TMW releases transportation, logistics study
The 2014 TMW Transportation & Logistics Study is now available from TMW Systems. In its second year, the industry benchmarking study has more than doubled the number of companies participating, with detailed results collected from more than 130 businesses representing the truckload irregular, truckload dedicated and brokerage/non-asset segments, according to TMW Systems. Designed to assist
FTR predicts deteriorating shippers conditions
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index for January rose to a positive 2.6 reading. The positive reading reflects a one-month reaction to fuel price reductions and adjustment for reversal of the 2013 Hours of Service changes, according to the research firm. FTR noted that the index will fall back into neutral territory and deteriorate as the year
February commercial vehicle demand still favorable
January Class 8 and 5-7 net orders were up 7% and 2% year-over-year respectively. According to ACT Research Co., Class 8 net orders were over 31,100 units in January, with Class 5-7 orders totaling 19,700 net orders. The company stated that February’s Class 8 orders marked the 25th consecutive month of year-over-year gains. “Although February’s
Fuel, freight rates, load growth, capacity impact Trucking Conditions Index
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index for January dropped 34% month-over-month to a reading of 7.8, reflecting positive impacts from continued drops in fuel prices being offset by weaker inputs from freight rates, load growth and capacity. According to the research firm, it expects the index to maintain at a high level and move upward again in
February Class 8 orders match expectations
FTR has released preliminary data showing February 2015 North American Class 8 truck net orders at 30,100 units, in line with the company’s expectations. February order activity was 12% below January, “settling into a more reasonable, seasonal level than the previous four months,” FTR said in its report. The research firm added that February was