Preliminary Classes 5-8 truck data for January indicate industry net orders rose to a 13-month high, 45,300 units. That aggregate volume represents a 27% improvement compared to January 2016. (Note that these numbers are preliminary.) Complete industry data for January, including final order numbers, will be published in mid-February.

North American Class 8 net orders hit a 14-month high at 22,200 units in January, rising above both the prevailing order trend and expectations.

“This is the time of year when big fleets are in the market scheduling replacement orders for the coming year,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. He continued, “Rising 21% versus a year-ago January, this is only the second positive y/y comparison in 23 months.”

Preliminary, North American Classes 5-7 orders hit an 11-month high in January, rising 32% y/y to 23,000 units.

“As the year’s opening stanza is typically one of the weakest in terms of order activity, seasonal adjustment provides a strong boost, pushing the adjusted net order volume to 24,450 units,” said Vieth. “To put that number into context, January’s seasonally adjusted MD net order total was the best monthly reading in 9 years, or since February 2008.”