Kenworth, Peterbilt Return to MATS for 2017

With OEs absent, considerble space in the south end of the long South Wing sat empty at MATS 2016. But the rest of this hall and all the others were occupied. Photo: Tom Berg

After a year where none of the major Class 8 OEMs exhibited at the Mid-America Trucking Show, Kenworth and Peterbilt announced they will return to the show for 2017.

Kenworth plans to showcase its T680 Advantage with new fuel-savings options for 2017, as well as the T880 and T880S vocational models. The company will also exhibit its latest technologies such as Kenworth TruckTech+, Power Management with Auto Start and Stop capability and the Nav+ HD for drivers.

“Kenworth is excited to be a part of the 2017 Mid-America Trucking Show,” said Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president. “It provides an outstanding venue to meet with and thank our customers, while also displaying our industry-leading products and technologies that are focused on supporting the needs of their businesses, as well as the comfort, safety and productivity of the driver.”

Peterbilt says it will have a significant presence at the show. Its exhibit will include the Model 579 Epiq's latest fuel economy enhancements and a new day cab configuration. The exhibit will also show the company's latest technologies, such as the SmartLinq remote diagnostics, and it will include a display for the Red Oval pre-owned truck program.

“The Mid-America Trucking Show allows Peterbilt to spend quality time with customers and drivers while exhibiting our latest offerings,” said Darrin Siver, Peterbilt general manager and Paccar vice president. “MATS is an outstanding venue for Peterbilt to thank the industry and interact with the many men and women who own, operate or are champions of our products.”

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Monthly Trailer Orders Projected at One-Third of Last Year’s Levels

ACT Research released its preliminary U.S. net trailer orders data for September 2016, showing a decline from the previous month and weaker than anticipated order pace.

Trailer orders are expected to reach 12,950 units for the month once ACT finalizes its numbers, reflecting a drop of 16% from August. September is a month where trailer order activity historically increases significantly. Based on ACT's numbers, order activity is at one-third of last year's levels.

“An extremely strong September 2015 set a very high bar for year-over-year comparison; this estimate shows September volume approximately 65% below the same month last year,” said Frank Maly, ACT's director of commercial vehicle transportation analysis and research. “It is apparent that the 2016/17 trailer order season has stumbled out of the gates to a very slow start.”

ACT believes that this lower order activity is representative of the caution fleets expressed regarding equipment investment in this order cycle. In a small concession, cancellation rates were easing compared to recent months but were still higher than in the same period of 2015.

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