Economic trends

Indicators
Class 8 order boards open; hit September record
Class 8 order boards for 2023 officially opened in September as the market hit an all-time single month record. ACT Research reported 53,700 preliminary orders; FTR reported preliminary orders of 56,500 units.
October 5, 2022
Mack Anthem blue exterior on roadway by rails
Outlook and Benchmarking
Labor shortage beginning to weaken industry growth potential
Labor remains the largest barrier to growth for commercial vehicle parts sales, but also the industry’s strongest data point against a recession, HDMA and MacKay & Company reported Wednesday during an industry webinar.
September 29, 2022
Bunch of trucks in a row on the highway
Used trucks
Used truck market volumes leapt in August
ACT Research announced Tuesday in its most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks report that used Class 8 retail volumes (same dealer sales) were up 29 percent month over month in August.
September 27, 2022
Truck driving into sun
Freight demand
Analysts expect softening in freight market in months ahead
Despite rising truck tonnage month over month, analysis of truck freight conditions were muted in August and multiple industry experts are now predicting truck freight and carrier conditions will continue to weaken into 2023.
September 26, 2022
Trucks through mirror.
Used trucks
Are retail used truck prices stabilizing?
With auction volumes on the rise and retail pricing leveling out, J.D. Power says the used truck sector may be nearing a soft floor and could stabilize over the final quarter of the 2022.
September 21, 2022
Overhead view of many trucks parked
Trailers
Trailer orders steady in August
Trailer orders were steady in August, ACT Research and FTR announced this week, with little change from July's final numbers. The firms do, however, anticipate build rates will increase in the months ahead.
September 21, 2022
ACT August 2022 trailer orders
Used trucks
Price Digests: Salaries, job seekers and resale truck listings all on the rise
In a new report published Friday, Randall Reilly's Price Digests, a sister company to Trucks, Parts, Service, published data indicated the number of truck listings in the resale channel could rise to as high as 80,000 units by year end.
September 16, 2022
Line of trucks on a summer day
Used trucks
Used truck sales volumes rebound after July trough
"Though it remains one of the most elusive metrics in the industry, what data anecdotes we are able to garner suggests there are no more used trucks in inventory today than there were six months ago," says ACT Research Vice President Steve Tam.
September 15, 2022
Group of trucks parked
Indicators
Industry factors dull effects of recession on CVs
Forecasts this month are essentially unchanged from last month despite trending toward economic recession, according to ACT Research.
September 12, 2022
New white trucks lined up parked in lot.
Indicators
PLI signals slowing aftermarket parts sales
Commercial Motor Vehicle Consulting’s Parts Aftermarket Sales Leading Indicator decreased 0.1 percent in July, following seven consecutive monthly increases.
September 8, 2022
CMVC's PLI decreased 0.1 percent in July, following seven consecutive monthly increases.
Class 7-8
Class 8 orders grow 98 percent month over month
FTR attributes the sudden bump to OEMs who began placing a limited number of orders for the first quarter of 2023 and states it appears the truck makers “have returned to the pattern of the first quarter of this year when orders averaged 21,100 units.”
September 6, 2022
FTR Class 8 orders August 2022 Chart
Class 7-8
ACT's preliminary August orders show bounce back for Class 8 sales
ACT Research reported preliminary North American Class 8 net orders of 21,600 units in August. Class 5-7 orders were 18,400 units.
September 5, 2022
Two Mack Trucks driving down hill on gravel
MarketPulse
Dealers outperformed expectations in second quarter
Though equipment sales continue to lag behind historical norms, commercial truck and trailer dealers reported the second quarter was a great one for their businesses in the most recent Trucks, Parts, Service MarketPulse quarterly survey.
August 25, 2022
TPS industry survey image
Outlook and Benchmarking
NTEA manufacturers' survey shows 16 percent in equipment shipments in 2021
NTEA’s newly released Annual Manufacturers’ Shipments Survey (AMSS) report indicates the 2021 bounce out of the 2020 recession led to a truck equipment industry increase of 16.2 percent in terms of dollar value shipped, after –15.8 percent growth in 2020.
August 24, 2022
NTEA AMSS Report
Trailers
More context on July's trailer orders and backlog challenges
ACT Research reported Wednesday net U.S. trailer orders of 16,997 units in July, down 33 percent from June but 103 percent above the same month last year.
August 17, 2022
Great Dane dry van trailer
Used trucks
J.D. Power says used prices still falling in July
The pricing gap between late-model and older equipment expanded in July as prices continued to fall in the auction and retail markets, J.D. Power reported Tuesday in its August 2022 Commercial Truck Guidelines industry report.
August 17, 2022
Three trucks parked in rest area in Rocky Mountains
Indicators
Used Class 8 truck sales in July fall month over month
Used Class 8 retail volumes fell 8 percent month over month, and were 47 percent lower compared with July of 2021, according to ACT Research.
August 16, 2022
Used trucks parked in lot.
Trailers
Strategic backlog management limits July trailer orders
Preliminary trailer orders were down month over month in July as OEMs remain "cautious about taking orders for next year’s build slots," FTR reports.
August 15, 2022
FTR's July 2022 trailer orders
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Rihm Kenworth
Successful Dealer Award
Rihm Kenworth wins 2022 Successful Dealer Award
Rihm Kenworth has won the 2022 Successful Dealer Award. The announcement was made Tuesday during a special awards banquet in Nashville, Tenn., to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the award program.
Bunch of trucks in a row on the highway
Outlook and Benchmarking
Labor shortage beginning to weaken industry growth potential
Doggett Freightliner store counter
Successful Dealer Award
2022 Successful Dealer Award finalist Doggett Freightliner
Trucks through mirror.
Freight demand
Analysts expect softening in freight market in months ahead
Rihm Kenworth store front
Successful Dealer Award
2022 Successful Dealer Award finalist Rihm Kenworth
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