Preliminary NA Class 8 net orders in February were 43,800 units, up 4 percent from January, and a 212 percent improvement from year-ago February. NA Classes 5-7 demand, with orders at 25,400 units, slid 4 percent sequentially but were still up 12 percent compared to last February. Complete industry data for February, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-March.

“Beyond warmer inflation numbers, there is much to like in the current stream of economic data that indicate broad-based economic activity. As has been the case over the course of this pandemic period, economic growth is being driven by the goods-producing sectors of the economy,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s President and Senior Analyst.

He continued, “Consumer spending on goods, a red-hot housing market, a reaccelerating manufacturing sector, and pent-up inventories combine to provide very good visibility to near- to mid-term freight trends. Contract freight rates are at record levels, as are spot rates, after seasonal adjustment. Without injecting stimulus or infrastructure into the discussion, there is a lot to like about freight, the carrier profit outlook, and by extension the commercial vehicle demand landscape.”

Regarding the medium-duty market, Vieth commented, “The shift in consumer spending from experiences to goods continues to support providers of local trucking services, as e-commerce has grown by leaps and bounds in the pandemic economy.”