August net orders of heavy-duty Class 8 commercial vehicles were up 15% from August 2009, according to ACT Research Co. In the latest release of the State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles, ACT further reported that for the three months ended August 31, net orders of Class 8 vehicles totaled 40,033, an increase of 42% over the same three months of 2009.
“The summer months tend to be seasonally low-order months for Class 8 vehicles, but this summer has seen a stabilization of orders at a more material rate compared to the trough of 2009,” said Steve Tam, vice-president–commercial vehicle sector. “Net orders were especially strong for the Mexico market, likely due to increased manufacturing and trade. It is possible Mexico is benefiting from some ‘re-shoring’ of manufacturing that previously occurred overseas.”
Medium-duty Classes 5-7 net orders rose by 27% in August versus the prior year. Classes 6-7 buses were very strong, increasing 159% month-over-month from July, similar to a large month-over-month gain in August 2009. Class 5 truck net orders were also strong, growing 126% year-over-year.
