April preliminary North America Class 8 net orders of 7,600 units declined m/m and y/y. Complete industry data for April, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-May.

“Between the end of the industry's annual ‘order season’ and the uncertainty surrounding the impact of US economic policy that peaked at the start of the month on ‘Liberation Day,’ April delivered the weakest cumulative MD and HD order tally since the beginning of the pandemic when markets were comparably unsettled,” shared Ken Vieth, President & Senior Analyst at ACT Research. He continued, “When released by ACT mid-month, NA Classes 5-8 net orders are expected at 19,200 units, the lowest volume since May 2020. Seasonality provides only modest lift in April.”

When addressing medium duty, Vieth said, “The order trend for MD Classes 5-7 vehicles continued to deflate. ACT's preliminary look at April NA Classes 5-7 orders puts the month's volume at 11,600 orders, down 41% from last April's level. Seasonal adjustment provides only modest support.”

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. It differentiates market indicators by Class 5, Classes 6-7 chassis and Class 8 trucks and tractors, detailing activity-related measures such as backlog, build, inventory, new orders, cancellations, net orders, and retail sales.