Final North American Class 8 net orders totaled 16,951 units in August, up 32% year-over-year but down 34% month-over-month on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to ACT Research’s latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report. Total Classes 5-7 orders rose 37% from a year ago, reaching 19,966 units.
Order activity in August reflected typical late-summer seasonality, as well as the impact of full 2026 backlogs and not-yet-open 2027 orderboards.
“While sequential weakness in Class 8 orders is in line with normal patterns for this time of year, robust year-over-year gains highlight the continued influence of supply-side freight market constraints and regulatory clarity,” Carter Vieth, research analyst at ACT Research, said. “With spot freight rates up sharply and fleets gaining more planning visibility around EPA 2027 and non-compliance penalties, we expect order activity to rebound as seasonality improves and new year orderboards open.”
Vieth concluded, “Despite increased macroeconomic uncertainty and elevated diesel prices, demand for new equipment remains solid, particularly in the tractor segment, where orders were up 39% year-over-year. Medium-duty order strength appears to be supported by dealer inventory stocking ahead of regulatory changes and higher prices.”
