Final North American Class 8 net orders totaled 16,249 units in August, down 14% Y/Y, as published in ACT Research’s latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report. The weakness was concentrated in vocational units, where interest rate-sensitive residential spending continues to underperform and strong construction trends wane.

“Class 8 retail sales were 26,500 units, down 8.9% Y/Y,” Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst of ACT Research, said. “While August sales are still red-tag impacted, the decline from July’s unseasonally high sales indicates the industry is on the path to normalization. Class 8 cancellations increased in August from July’s low levels to 1,821 units and represented 1.7% of the backlog.”