
Final numbers show Class 8 demand going strong at the end of 2024.
ACT Research reports final net orders hit 36,800 units in December, according to the State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8.
[RELATED: Trailer orders up slightly but demand, production still historically low]
"Despite generationally weak profits in for-hire, large fleets still need to replenish existing/aging equipment, and with the defensive assumption that EPA's Clean Truck regulation will go ahead as is at the start of 2027, private fleets, who crucially have the budget, are likely continuing to focus on fleet age ahead of the large price increase expected for tractors," says Kenny Vieth, ACT's president and senior analyst.
[RELATED: ACT: Used Class 8 sales finished 2024 strong]
Vocational orders were also healthy, ACT says, coming in at 8,100 units. Higher interest rates in 2025 may cool demand, but Veith says he still expects 2025 to be the best year for vocational truck demand since 2006.
The medium-duty market is finally cooling off.
"Total Classes 5-7 orders decreased 40% year-over-year to 16,800 units," Vieth says. "Orders slowed in the last quarter of 2024, as near record-high inventories and a stagnant sales trend weigh on medium-duty truck demand levels."