May preliminary North America Class 8 net orders of 13,200 units improved m/m but declined 44% y/y. Complete industry data for May, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-June.

“Given the uncertainty around 'Liberation Day' in April’s data that sent order activity across the board to 59-month lows, it’s little surprise preliminary order activity for May showed m/m improvement, with total NA Classes 5-8 net orders expected at 26,400 units when released mid-month,” shared Carter Vieth, Research Analyst at ACT Research. “Though, it’s worth highlighting two things: 1) Continued trade uncertainty will slow order activity, and 2) We have now entered the weakest seasonal period for orders, so improvement, if any, likely won’t reveal itself until the opening of 2026 order boards in Q3 of this year.”

Regarding medium duty, he added, “Preliminary May NA Classes 5-7 orders fell 32% y/y to 13,200 units, the second weakest net order tally since the pandemic, only surpassed by April's weak showing. Seasonally adjusted, Classes 5-7 orders rose 8.5% m/m to 14,300 units, a 171k SAAR.”

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. Additionally, Class 5 and Classes 6-7 are segmented by trucks, buses, RVs, and step van configurations. The Class 8 market is segmented into trucks and tractors, with and without sleeper cabs. The report includes a six-month industry build plan, a 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.