Final Class 8 net orders hit 42,684 units in December, up 16% year over year, ACT Research says.
"December's massive 408,000 SAAR underscores its outlier performance. For all of 2025, just 224,000 Class 8 orders were placed. Given carrier margins remained thin into the end of 2025, the sudden swing certainly overstates demand," says Carter Vieth, research analyst at ACT. "There are several factors we think drove the surge. For starters, the economy, supported by AI and wealthy households, continues to outperform expectations, with GDP rising 4.3% in Q3."
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Even better for trucking, Vieth says, consumer spending stayed robust while capacity continued to contract, pushing spot rates up. Combined with more certainty on EPA '27 emissions regulation, some fleets decided to pull the trigger on orders.
"Total Class 5-7 orders rose 20% year over year to 20,126 units," Vieth says. "Having gradually slowed in 2025 on tariffs and low consumer sentiment, December's improvement is likely a reflection of continued consumer spending strength, cautious optimism surrounding IEEPA tariffs and some regulation-driven dealer stocking."
The final numbers are part of ACT's State of the Industry: North American Classes 5-8 report.
