Preliminary Class 8 net orders for North America totaled 7,600 units in April, according to ACT Research, marking a drop both month-over-month and year-over-year.

Ken Vieth, president and senior analyst at ACT Research, said the decline reflects the end of the typical truck order season and lingering economic uncertainty that peaked earlier in the month.

“April delivered the weakest cumulative medium-duty and heavy-duty order tally since the beginning of the pandemic when markets were comparably unsettled,” Vieth said.

ACT Research projects final net orders for Classes 5-8 in April to reach 19,200 units, the lowest since May 2020.

In the medium-duty segment, preliminary North America Class 5-7 orders were 11,600 units, a 41% decrease from April 2023. Seasonality contributed little to counter the downward trend.

ACT Research plans to release complete April industry data in mid-May. The company’s monthly “State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles” report covers production, sales, orders, cancellations, and other key metrics for commercial vehicle markets across North America.