Class 8 Orders Still Soft, But Commerce Wheels Rolling

COLUMBUS, IN — Class 8 new and net orders continued to be soft through September, ACT Research said today.

The main reason for the softness has been the perceived threat of bad economic news on truck buyers. However, said Steve Tam, vice president-commercial vehicle sector at ACT, “truckers are still ordering and buying and OEMs are still building and selling.”

Many buyers are showing up last minute to order trucks, Tam noted, and, overall, the year hasn’t been that bad.

“Even with soft order intake and reduced build schedules, the industry is on track to produce 280,000 to 284,000 trucks in North America this year, an increase of 11 percent over 2011. It’s tough to stop the wheels of commerce from rolling.”