Preliminary Class 8 data shows surge in orders

FTR Associates has released preliminary data showing September 2010 Class 8 truck total net orders for all major North American OEMs at 14,872 units, a 21.6% increase over the previous month and 38.8% better than September 2009. Net order activity for the six-month period including September annualizes to 163,100 units. The figure includes US, Canada, Mexico, and exports.

Eric Starks, president of FTR, said, “Net orders for September came in about where we expected, and while better than August, aren’t indicative of any significant shift in fleet buying plans that would result in strong growth next year. We’ll closely watch the next two months because they are typically the strongest in the seasonal cycle. If orders don’t come in at close to 20,000 in October and higher in November, that will be evidence in our view that many fleets will continue to sit on the sidelines until they are more comfortable of a sustained economic recovery.”

Contact FTR Associates at [email protected] or 1-888-988-1699 ext 0 for more details.