Preliminary NA Class 8 net orders in May were 6,700 units, up 56 percent from April, but down 38 percent from a very easy year-ago comparison. Living up to its “steady” moniker, the NA Classes 5-7 market saw orders improve 5.3 percent month-over-month, despite being down 57 percent from the year-ago May volume. Complete industry data for May, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-June.

“Reflecting the state of the broader economy, there was little to cheer about in May’s industry order activity,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst. “Considering COVID-related lockdowns across the U.S. and North America at the start of the month, and a slow reopening occurring through May in most areas, it was not an exercise building customer confidence.”

Vieth further explained, “Restarting the manufacturing sector from a full stop was only partly successful, as Mexico’s lockdowns remained in effect well after the U.S. began to reopen, resulting in challenging supply-chain dynamics and fragmented supplier sourcing.”

ACT’s State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles report provides a monthly look at the current production, sales and general state of the on-road heavy and medium duty commercial vehicle markets in North America.