Truck Orders Fall for the Quarter, Up Big from Last Year

Truck orders in the heavy- and medium-duty segments fell in the second quarter of 2017, but are still much higher than they were a year ago, according to a report from ACT Research.

Class 5-8 orders for the second quarter hit 43,000 units, up more than 37% year-over-year but down 6.5% from the unexpectedly positive first quarter of the year. The numbers are still preliminary for June; final data will be published in mid-July.

Class 8 orders alone jumped to 18,100 units in June, increasing 1,200 units from May. This represents an increase of 39% compared to June of last year.

“Because of a deep seasonal trend that runs through Class 8 orders, seasonal adjustment provides a significant boost to June's orders,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst at ACT Research. ”When adjusted, the June volume rises to 20,200 units.”

Class 5-7 medium-duty truck orders moderated from May, slipping 1,500 units to 20,200 units in June. This was up 34% compared to last June's order intake.

“Seasonal adjustment boosts June's MD order volume to 22,700 units, roughly in line with May's seasonally adjusted tally (22.8k),” said Vieth. “In the second quarter, Classes 5-7 orders were booked at a 255k SAAR, down from a 274k SAAR in Q1.”

Related - Fleet Sentiment Report: Things Are Good, Not Great

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