Final North American Class 8 net orders totaled 36,800 units in December, on very strong tractor demand, as published in ACT Research’s latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report.
“Despite generationally weak profits in for-hire, large fleets still need to replenish existing/aging equipment, and with the defensive assumption that EPA’s Clean Truck regulation will go ahead as is at the start of 2027, private fleets, who crucially have the budget, are likely continuing to focus on fleet age ahead of the large price increase expected for tractors,” Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst of ACT Research, said. “Vocational truck orders totaled a healthy 8.1k units. While additional production capacity that came online in late 2024 likely satiated some demand, and with higher interest rates in 2025 potentially cooling demand slightly, we remain firm in our belief that 2025 will be the best year for vocational truck demand since 2006.”
Regarding medium duty, Vieth said, “Total Classes 5-7 orders decreased 40% y/y to 16.8k units. Orders slowed in the last quarter of 2024, as near record-high inventories and a stagnant sales trend weigh on medium-duty truck demand levels.”
