Heavy Truck Sales to Rise 26 Percent

Heavy truck production will rise 26 percent this year as motor carriers begin to replace aging trucks, ACT Research said.

Higher freight volume, truckload rates and used truck prices are encouraging carriers to replace older vehicles, the firm said.

In the truckload market, "all major freight indicators are solidly positive," said Kenny Vieth, senior analyst and parter at ACT.

"Key building blocks to support improved demand for heavy-duty commercial vehicles are coming into alignment," said Vieth.

Net orders for heavy trucks rose 84 percent in May, ACT said last month, as carriers anticipated a stronger shipping peak.

J.B. Hunt Transport, Con-way Freight, Heartland Express and Stevens Transport all have hundreds of trucks on order.

In many cases, those orders represent replacement units rather than expanded fleet capacity.

-- Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com.