HD truck orders hold strong; class 5 more than double

COLUMBUS, Ind. – After a seasonal summer lull, August orders of heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicles jumped 15 percent from the same month in 2009, according to ACT Research.

In the latest release of the State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles, ACT reported that for the three months ended August 31, net orders of Class 8 vehicles totaled 40,033, an increase of 42 percent over the same three months of 2009.

"The summer months tend to be seasonally low order months for Class 8 vehicles, but this summer has seen a stabilization of orders at a more material rate compared to the trough of 2009," said Steve Tam, vice president-commercial vehicle sector.

Medium-duty classes 5-7 net orders increased by 27 percent in August compared to the prior year.

Class 5 truck net orders were particularly strong, growing at 126 percent year-over-year.