July preliminary North America Class 8 net orders of 22.1k units increased 68% y/y. Complete industry data for July, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-August.
“Class 8 preliminary orders in July totaled 22,100 units, up 68% y/y on easy comps and improved trucking fundamentals, but down 30% m/m on a seasonally adjusted basis,” shared Carter Vieth, Research Analyst at ACT Research. “The sizable m/m decline doesn’t reflect a sudden drop in demand for new equipment but indicates a lack of 2026 build slots available as orders run up against full Class 8 backlogs, something we flagged as a possibility earlier this year. Lack of EPA clarity, at least until the end of August, may also be impacting orders, as OEMs and customers both await finality regarding regulations/penalties/pricing before 2027 orderboards open.”
Regarding medium duty, he added, “Preliminary Classes 5-7 orders rose 41% y/y to 18,300 units in July. On a seasonally adjusted basis, medium-duty orders have remained north of 20,000-unit levels the past three months, a sizable improvement from the 16,000-unit level at the beginning of 2026.”
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.
Additional Resources
Final North American Class 8 net orders totaled 31,751 units in June, more than tripling y/y and rising 25% m/m on a seasonally adjusted basis, as published in ACT Research’s latest State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 report.
“Broad tariff uncertainty last year certainly contributed to the easy y/y comp, but more importantly, demand for new equipment continues to be buoyed by the sustained and extraordinary momentum of freight rates over the past four months,” according to Carter Vieth, Research Analyst at ACT Research. “With freight conditions rapidly improving, tractor orders nearly quadrupled to 22,041 units in June. Vocational Class 8 orders totaled 9,710 units (12.2k SA), increasing 150% y/y. Like the tractor market, easy comps due to tariffs and poor EPA communication this time last year partly explain the y/y rebound, but with AI hyperscalers spending ~$15–$20 billion per week on infrastructure and flatbed spot rates at record highs, demand is certainly not lacking.”
Regarding medium duty, Vieth added, “Total Classes 5-7 orders rose 71% y/y to 21,122 units, perhaps reflecting continued US economic resilience, particularly among consumers, despite near-record low confidence level, flatlining RDPI, and low savings rates, but more than likely suggesting some level of dealer inventory hedging ahead of EPA’27.”
Class 8:
Net Orders: 31,751
Classes 5-7:
Net Orders: 21,122
Click here to learn more information about ACT's State of the Industry: NA Classes 5-8 Vehicles data.
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