Class 8 truck sales continue surge

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 BLOOMINGTON, IN – North American Class 8 truck orders this August were 50% better than a year ago, and 14% above July totals, analysts at FTR report.

“Orders were up for the third straight month, and it looks like May’s 16,500 orders will be the low point for the year. Orders are expected to increase in September, leading into robust order activity in Q4,” said Don Ake, FTR’s vice president of commercial vehicles.

The numbers are in keeping with expectations and should help to fill remaining 2017 build slots, FTR concludes. It’s the best August order performance since 2014.

In the past 12 months, North American Class 8 orders have reached 231,000 units.

“Freight continues to show some impressive growth. This has created capacity tightness in some regions which is expected to spread to more areas as economic growth expands. The capacity crunch will be exacerbated by the [Electronic Logging Device] mandate, spurring demand for trucks and trailers in 2018,” Ake adds.

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John G. Smith is Newcom Media's vice-president - editorial, and the editorial director of its trucking publications -- including Today's Trucking, trucknews.com, and Transport Routier. The award-winning journalist has covered the trucking industry since 1995.


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