Preliminary NA Class 8 net orders in January were 17,700 units, down 12 percent from December 2019, but up 10 percent from last January. Complete industry data for January, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-February.

“Weak freight market and rate conditions, as well as the residual backlog cushion, continue to bedevil new Class 8 order activity,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. “Notably, January’s year-over-year result is the first positive Class 8 order comparison in 15 months, and while actual orders in January were below the Q4 average, they were more closely aligned on a seasonally adjusted basis.”