COLUMBUS, Ind. -- The perceived threats of bad economic news are keeping Class 8 truck buyers on the sidelines, according to the latest data from ACT Research.
The industry forecaster reported a continued softening of new and net orders in September in its latest State of the Industry report.
“Despite the constant barrage of conflicting economic news, truckers are still ordering and buying and OEMs are still building and selling,” said Steve Tam, vice-president, commercial vehicle sector at ACT. “Even with soft order intake and reduced build schedules, the industry is on track to produce 280,000 to 284,000 trucks in North America this year, an increase of 11% over 2011. It’s tough to stop the wheels of commerce from rolling.”
Tam added that economic news is still taking its toll on buyers who appear to only show up at the last minute to order needed trucks.