It has been a volatile time for truck order activity, but Mack continues to see strong demand, particularly for the ‘dirty trucks’ in its portfolio – the vocational Granite and Pinnacle models.

Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America, and David Kriete, president of Wisconsin dealer group Kriete Truck Centers, gave a market update to visiting trade press this week.

Since emerging from the Covid pandemic, Kriete said his dealer group has had just one order cancellation in nearly three years.

“In normal times when demand is high, there are always some kind of cancellations,” he said. “It has been incredible that in three years, we’ve had one customer cancellation.”

Looking at the broader truck market, Randall said dealer inventories remain lean and any order cancellations are quickly taken up by other fleets.

He said demand for vocational trucks hasn’t wavered and that the economy remains strong. Housing construction starts have weakened, but been offset by commercial construction. Randall said the order outlook into next year looks strong with order boards for 2024 builds now open.