Reports: December Class 8 orders come in strong
Class 8 truck orders surged in December, according to preliminary data from FTR Intel and ACT Research.
FTR reported North American orders in the month “skyrocketed” to their highest level since October 2022, checking in at 42,200 units—which is well above the 10-year December average of 29,351—in an increase of 108% month-over-month and 21% year-over-year. While both on-highway and vocational markets saw similar percentage gains relative to the prior month, on-highway made up the bulk of the y/y increase in orders, FTR added.
Despite the strong performance in December, cumulative 2026-season net orders from September through December were down 22% y/y, reflecting broader market headwinds. Class 8 orders have totaled 22,178 units for the past 12 months.
A key driver of the strong December order performance was improved policy visibility on both tariffs and emissions regulations following clarifications in October and November, FTR explained. The Section 232 tariffs on Class 3-8 trucks implemented on Nov. 1 turned out to be less onerous than many had feared, and regulatory uncertainty has eased. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose revisions to the 2027 NOx rule in March or April that would retain the 2027 implementation date and the 0.035 g/hp-hr standard while eliminating the costly extended warranty requirements and modifying other compliance provisions.
Word of EPA’s plan did not circulate until about 10 days before Thanksgiving, which probably is a factor in why the order surge occurred during December and not November, FTR noted.
“Despite greater policy clarity, freight demand remains soft, fleet profitability is constrained, and capital spending discipline persists amid rising costs,” Dan Moyer, FTR senior analyst for commercial vehicles, said in a news release. “As a result, December’s order strength likely reflects the release of deferred orders along with the early stages of a modest EPA 2027 NOx pre-buy rather than a broader demand inflection. A more durable recovery in equipment demand will require a sustained improvement in underlying economic and freight market conditions.”
‘Overstating’ the improvement
ACT reported a more modest uptick of 16% y/y but counted 42,700 net orders in December.
“After spending most of 2025 in the doldrums, amid stagnant freight rates and beset by policy and regulatory uncertainty, new vehicle demand jolted awake in December,” shared Carter Vieth, ACT research analyst. “A firmer economic foundation, increasingly aged fleets, and the certainty of higher costs and new technologies in 2027 were the impetus, in our opinion, for the sudden change of heart.
“As trucking fundamentals remain thin, if improving, we view December’s Class 8 result as overstating the improvement.”
