December preliminary North America Class 8 net orders were 36,500 units, slipping 2.1% month over month but up 39% year over year. Complete industry data for December, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-January.
“Strength continues to be the applicable descriptor of Class 8 order activity as the industry looks to 2025. In December, Class 8 orders were in line, slipping 2.1% month over month to 36,500 units,” Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst of ACT Research, said. “While down from November, orders were up nearly 39% compared to last December’s performance. With the largest seasonal factor of the year, seasonal adjustment is always unkind in December. On a seasonally adjusted basis, Class 8 orders fell 15% from November to 29,700 units, and a 356k SAAR.”
“MD Classes 5-7 orders continue their consistent, if slowly deflating, trajectory into still historically elevated truck and bus backlogs,” Vieth said. “Preliminary December NA Classes 5-7 orders fell 40% year over year to 16,800 units, down 300 units or -1.9% from November and the third weakest net order tally of 2024.”
