FTR Associates has released preliminary data showing October Class 8 truck total net orders for all major North American OEM’s increased 17 percent over September to 27,395 units, a year over year increase of 46 percent and the third consecutive month of increasing order activity. Orders for the three month period of August, September and October annualize to 287,500 units, FTR says.
“The uptick in orders was anticipated and came in at the high end of those expectations. The healthy order activity signals that the sluggish economy is not negatively impacting carriers,” says Eric Starks, FTR president. “October typically is the beginning of the strongest ordering season for trucks with expected delivery in Q1 and Q2 of the following year. The current order activity is a good beginning for Q4 2011 and should solidify early 2012 OEM build plans.”
Final data for October will be available from FTR later in the month as part of its North American Commercial Truck & Trailer Outlook service.
