Final North American Class 8 net orders totaled 8.2k units in April, down 48% y/y, as published in ACT Research’s latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report.

“April orders were at levels not seen since the onset of the pandemic, when similar uncertainty reigned,” according to Carter Vieth, Research Analyst at ACT Research. “In addition to self-inflicted economic stress, Q1’25 saw publicly traded TL carriers’ net income margins fall to the lowest levels since Q1’10—an ominous signal.

“Unsurprisingly, tractor orders fell 51% y/y, to 5.0k units. Vocational truck orders fell 44% y/y, totaling 3.2k units,” he continued.

Regarding medium duty, Vieth added, “Total Classes 5-7 orders fell 35% y/y to 12.8k units. MD orders have slowed across the past six months, as current bloated inventories and a weaker economic outlook weigh on new orders.”

ACT’s State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 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 measures such as backlog, build, inventory, new orders, cancellations, net orders, and retail sales. Additionally, Class 5 and Classes 6-7 are segmented by trucks, buses, RVs, and step van configurations, while Class 8 is segmented by trucks and tractors with and without sleeper cabs. This report includes a six-month industry build plan, backlog timing analysis, historical data from 1996 to the present in spreadsheet format, and a ready-to-use graph package. A first-look at preliminary net orders is also published in conjunction with this report.