FTR Reports Class 8 Orders Rebound in July at 18,300 Units

FTR releases preliminary Class 8 net orders for July at 18,300 units, a month-over-month improvement of 5% and 79% better than a year ago. Orders increased for the second month in a row, a positive sign during the summer months. The market remains stable, but is moving in a positive direction. This is consistent with the FTR forecast. Orders for the past 12 months total 224,000 units.

Don Ake, Vice President of Commercial Vehicles at FTR, comments, “This is a great sign to see orders rising, even slightly, in mid-summer. This is the beginning of a positive trend that we expect to continue the rest of this year, right into 2018. The Class 8 market is starting to move upward and orders are forecasted to accelerate in the fall.

“Freight is on the upswing and industry capacity is tightening. The equipment markets, both Class 8 and trailers, are starting to respond to this environment.”

Final data for June will be available from FTR later in the month as part of its North American Commercial Truck & Trailer Outlook service.