COLUMBUS, Ind. — A strengthening North American economy and rapidly tightening capacity in the truckload sector are setting the stage for significant demand for new equipment in 2011, according to ACT Research.

In the latest release of the North American Commercial Vehicle Outlook, ACT increased its forecast for heavy-duty (Class 8) vehicle production by 6,000 units, boosting year-over-year growth in 2010 to 19%.  The forecast for 2011 was also increased by 3,000 units, projecting year-over-year growth of 67%. The forecast for medium-duty vehicle (Classes 5-7) production, which is largely tied to the health of housing and construction, was unchanged, projecting growth of 19% in 2010 and 32% in 2011.

 “The deck remains tilted against a strong ramp up of Class 8 production in 2010 as the projected growth is still well below replacement level demand,” said John Burton, vice-president, transportation sector, with ACT Research. “However, fleet age has truckers increasingly making comments about upgrading the fleet and anecdotal evidence suggests reserve capacity is in poor shape, having been idled and cannibalized during the downturn.”