September preliminary North America Class 8 net orders of 20.8k units declined 44% y/y. Complete industry data for September, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-October.

“On a seasonally adjusted basis, Class 8 orders totaled 18,800 units, a 225k SAAR. On a 6-and 12-month basis, orders continue to trend down, at 178k and 235k, respectively,” shared Carter Vieth, Research Analyst at ACT Research. “The longest for-hire downturn in history continues to weigh on tractor demand as freight rates continue to run below inflation levels. And even as more tariffs are imposed, the nation awaits a verdict on IEEPA tariffs in a case the Supreme Court will hear in early November. On top of tariffs, the industry awaits the announcement from the EPA on the future of low-NOx regulation. Quite the Q3 for the industry, and a challenging start to the opening of 2026 orderboards.”

Regarding medium duty, he added, “Preliminary September NA Classes 5-7 orders fell 22% y/y to 15,500 units. Increased consumer pessimism, slowing services growth, and economic uncertainty continue to weigh on Classes 5-7 orders. On a seasonally adjusted basis, Classes 5-7 orders decreased 2.9% m/m to 14,400 units, a 173k SAAR. On a 6- and 12-month basis, orders continue to trend lower, at 174k and 182k, respectively.”

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.