Truck sales rebound not expected until latter 2010

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Demand for new heavy- and medium-duty vehicles is not expected to pick back up until the second half of 2010, according to ACT Research‘s recently published North American Commercial Vehicle Outlook.

ACT has predicted that demand for heavy- and medium-duty this year will be down 45 percent from 2008 levels, and only improve slightly during the first half of next year.

"The combination of overcapacity and slim profits in trucking will be enough to keep many companies on the sidelines for the next several quarters," said Kenny Vieth, partner and senior analyst with ACT Research. "However, an aging fleet and pent-up replacement demand will begin to positively influence orders in the second half of 2010."

ACT publishes commercial vehicle industry data, market analysis and forecasting services for the North American market.