While improved spot and contract rates have been the primary drivers of higher Class 8 orders, regulatory burdens associated with higher equipment costs in 2027 also have helped spur greater order activity, ACT Research reports in its most recent edition of North American Commercial Vehicle Outlook.
“The strength exhibited in the Class 8 market comes from a combination of two exogenous factors that are bolstering the critical heavy-duty vehicle demand driver, freight rates, supporting ACT’s ‘truckers buy trucks to make money’ adage,” says Ken Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “At the end of September 2025, the FMCSA initiated a tightening of the rules around the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs to immigrants. With the tighter rules not going into effect until March, ACT’s For-Hire Survey is very bullish, suggesting drivers have been exiting the market at an accelerating rate since the start of the year.”
Additionally, Vieth notes that in mid-November news broke the EPA would keep the technology portion of the Agency’s Clean Truck low-NOx rule scheduled for January 2027. He says, clarity around the rule has been a trigger for the urgency of demand, especially when compared to ongoing weak trailer market activity.”
There also are good factors driving vocational demand.
Vieth notes, “With the four biggest technology companies in the U.S. set to deploy $650 billion in capital toward data centers and associated AI buildout needs in 2026, the vocational market appears poised to continue benefitting from strong secular tailwinds that show little sign of slowing in the short term. Additionally, after pulling back on expected pre-buying in 2025 due to regulatory and trade uncertainty, vocational orders — like tractor — are benefitting from EPA’27 clarity.”
