May preliminary North America Class 8 net orders of 13,200 units improved m/m but declined 44% y/y. Complete industry data for May, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-June.
“Given the uncertainty around “Liberation Day” in April’s data that sent order activity across the board to 59-month lows, it’s little surprise preliminary order activity for May showed m/m improvement, with total NA Classes 5-8 net orders expected at 26,400 units when released mid-month,” shared Carter Vieth, Research Analyst at ACT Research. He continued, “Though, it’s worth highlighting two things: 1) Continued trade uncertainty will slow order activity, and 2) We have now entered the weakest seasonal period for orders, so improvement, if any, likely won’t reveal itself until the opening of 2026 order boards in Q3 of this year.”
Regarding medium duty, he added, “Preliminary May NA Classes 5-7 orders fell 32% y/y to 13,200 units, the second weakest net order tally since the pandemic, only surpassed by April's weak showing. Seasonally adjusted, Classes 5-7 orders rose 8.5% m/m to 14,300 units, a 171k SAAR.”
State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 Report Overview
ACT’s State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report provides a monthly look at the current production, sales, and general state of the on-road heavy and medium duty commercial vehicle markets in North America. It differentiates market indicators by Class 5, Classes 6-7 chassis and Class 8 trucks and tractors, detailing measures such as backlog, build, inventory, new orders, cancellations, net orders, and retail sales. Additionally, Class 5 and Classes 6-7 are segmented by trucks, buses, RVs, and step van configurations, while Class 8 is segmented by trucks and tractors with and without sleeper cabs. This report includes a six-month industry build plan, backlog timing analysis, historical data from 1996 to the present in spreadsheet format, and a ready-to-use graph package. A first-look at preliminary net orders is also published in conjunction with this report.
ACT Research Overview
ACT Research is recognized as the leading publisher of commercial vehicle truck, trailer, and bus industry data, market analysis and forecasts for the North America and China markets. ACT’s analytical services are used by all major North American truck and trailer manufacturers and their suppliers, as well as banking and investment companies. ACT Research is a contributor to the Blue Chip Economic Indicators and a member of the Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Panel. ACT Research executives have received peer recognition, including election to the Board of Directors of the National Association for Business Economics, appointment as Consulting Economist to the National Private Truck Council, and the Lawrence R. Klein Award for Blue Chip Economic Indicators’ Most Accurate Economic Forecast over a four-year period. ACT Research senior staff members have earned accolades including Chicago Federal Reserve Automotive Outlook Symposium Best Overall Forecast, Wall Street Journal Top Economic Outlook, and USA Today Top 10 Economic Forecasters. More information can be found at www.actresearch.net.
