North America Class 8 production reached a 19-month high again in June following the stronger orders earlier this year. “Annualized, June’s per-day production rate equals a full-year production of almost 270,000,” said Steve Tam, ACT Research’s vice-president.
With orders moderating into the “soft season” and build ramping up, Class 8 backlogs are in decline. “With seasonal orders slowing likely into September and for continued strong build rates, we expect backlog paring to continue the next few months,” said Tam. He continued, “As has been the case for some time, the backlog continues to be front-end loaded.”
Build outpaced retail sales in June in the North America medium duty market. “Positively, stronger sales kept the inventory and retail sales ratio in check,” noted Tam. He continued, “On a per-day basis, sales jumped over the 1,000 unit threshold for just the second time in the past 18 months in June.”