Demand for Class 8 vehicles slumped in July, dropping to levels not seen since September 2010, ACT Research reports.
Preliminary numbers from the U.S. market analysts show that 25,000 vehicle orders were booked last month, with Class 8 trucks accounting for 10,500 of them.
“In line with the two-speed U.S. economy of healthy consumers and weak industrial activity, the two-speed commercial vehicle story continued to unfold in July,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “Medium-duty orders remained on trend, while Class 8 orders continued to soften.”
Some of the slowdown can be traced to the season, since summer months traditionally mark the low point for vehicle orders. Seasonally adjusted Class 5-8 orders reached 29,200 units. “However, July’s demand was nevertheless the lowest monthly volume – actual or seasonally adjusted – since September 2010,” Vieth said