Preliminary North American Classes 5-8 net truck orders were 53,000 units in November, up 44% year over year, and slightly down from October’s order surge.
“Continued Class 8 order strength in November and in-line medium-duty orders added up to a second consecutive month of ‘best-since’ order activity,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst at ACT Research. “Seasonally adjusted, orders rose 2.8% from October to 50,300 units, marking November as the best month for NA Classes 5-8 orders since February 2015.”
These numbers are preliminary. Complete industry data for November, to include final order results, will be available mid-December in ACT’s State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 Vehicles report.
Preliminary NA Class 8 net orders remained elevated in November, with 32,900 units added to the books. Despite being the second-best order month since January 2015, November’s orders fell 8.7% from October.
“Historically, November is the third best order month of the year,” Vieth said. “As such, seasonal adjustment lowers the month’s intake to 30,000 units, down 4.7% from October.”
Preliminary data indicate that Classes 5-7 net orders inched higher from October, rising to 20,100 units. At +15%, November’s order volume generated the best year-over-year performance in six-months.
“Seasonal adjustment, which was a drag in October, turned incrementally positive in November,” said Vieth. “When adjusted, the medium-duty net order volume rises to 20,400 units, up 16% sequentially and 17% year over year.”