COLUMBUS, Ind. – Strong North American order volumes outpaced manufacturing capacity in March, pushing the Class 8 heavy-duty backlog to almost 108,000 units at month-end.

Class 8 backlog has grown for seven straight months and now almost 150 percent above the same time last year, reaching a level not seen since December 2006, reports ACT Research Company.

Class 8 commercial vehicles net orders for the North American markets totaled 28,900 units in March — almost 4,800 units over February.

"For the past six months, class 8 orders have been booked at over 300,000 units on an annualized basis," according to Frank Maly, director, CV Transportation Analysis & Research at ACT. "Further improvement in production levels will definitely occur as we proceed through 2011."