COLUMBUS, Ind. — The stage has been set for a long run-up in demand across the medium-duty and heavy-duty truck and commercial trailer segments, according to ACT Research Co. (ACT).

The company said its most recent release of the ACT North American Commercial Vehicle OUTLOOK reflects solid fundamentals supporting the upcycle in the commercial vehicle market. These fundamentals include improved fleet financial performance, some improvement in credit availability, as well as pent-up demand from long-delayed equipment replacements and upgrades across the entire fleet spectrum, according to ACT.
 
“While the pace of economic growth eased slightly in the first quarter of 2011, our forecast concludes that the US economy has shifted into a self-sustaining recovery mode,” said Sam Kahan, ACT’s chief economist. “The recovery in the commercial vehicle sector is solidly underway, and the overall constraining factor for 2011 might actually be the industry’s ability to build rather than truckers’ demand for vehicles.”