Truck orders improve, but still below normal

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Net orders for heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicles were up 20 percent in February compared to the same month in 2009.

According to ACT Research’s latest release of the State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles, OEMs sold 7,900 heavy-duty units last month.

Medium-duty Classes 5-7 net orders showed similar trends, posting an increase of 12 percent from February of last year.

While the year-to-year jump looks impressive ACT notes that the Jan-Feb results of 2009 were among the weakest on record.

"When viewed through a wider lens, the February net orders are still well below normal levels and consistent with expectations," said Kenny Vieth, partner and senior analyst with ACT.

"The implementation of the EPA2010 emission mandate continues to hold down orders in the near term.

"Looking at orders by geography confirms this as the non-mandate markets — Mexico and exports — are performing relatively well while Canada and the U.S. continue to be weak."