Class 8 Truck Orders Surged 47 Percent Last Month

Net orders for Class 8 heavy trucks rose to 30,293 units in December, reversing a decline in November and resuming a positive trend that began in August.

When seasonally adjusted, December was the best month for net truck orders since April, according to ACT Research, a commercial vehicle market research firm.

Actual net orders for Class 8 trucks were slightly higher than forecast in December, jumping 47 percent from 20,603 net orders in November. November’s 27 percent drop in Class 8 orders “was circumstantial, rather than fundamentally derived,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT president and senior analyst.

“Part of the order drop in November was a significant spike in cancellations,” he said. “December’s net order strength was a plunge in cancellations.”

-- Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @wbcassidy_joc.