TORONTO, Ont. — Truck orders appear to be slowing when compared to the record-setting pace of 2018, but Canada’s retail sales were strong as 2019 began.

ACT Research reports that 15,800 Class 8 truck orders were booked across North America in January. That’s down 26% when compared to December, and 68% lower than last January – a month when orders spiked.

“During [January 2019], North American Classes 5-8 vehicle orders fell to an 18-month low 39,200 units,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “We view this January’s order softness as having more to do with pulled-forward orders and a very large Class 8 backlog than with the current supply-demand balance.”

Retail sales continued to enjoy a strong footing this January, though, with 1,986 Class 8 sales in Canada and 20,192 in the U.S., WardsAuto reports. This compares to January 2018 totals of 1,803 units in Canada and 14,458 in the U.S.

Freightliner accounted for 37% of Canada’s 1,986 Class 8 totals for the month, more than doubling the 15.5% secured by Kenworth and 14% by International.

International held the top spot in Class 7, with 32% of the 515 related retail sales, followed by Peterbilt with 30% and Freightliner with 21%.

Freightliner dominated Class 6 retail sales with 41% of the 139 Canadian units sold, followed by Hino at 30% and International at 22%.

In Class 5, Ford accounted for 44% of the 343 units sold this January, followed by Isuzu’s 30% and Hino’s 24%.