Class 8 Truck Orders

Class 8 Truck Orders

August 2025 Update

As of July 2025, the Class 8 truck market remains in a prolonged downturn, with order activity showing little improvement despite seasonal tailwinds. Ongoing freight weakness, tariff-driven equipment cost inflation, and continued regulatory uncertainty are keeping fleets in a defensive posture. Publicly traded carriers continue to report thin operating margins, further curbing appetite for capital-intensive purchases and reinforcing a focus on essential replacements only.

Cancellations remained low in July but are still elevated relative to typical cycle norms, indicating fleet hesitation and limited conviction in forward planning. Several OEMs have reduced Q3 build schedules by up to 25%, reflecting underbooked order boards and an increasingly conservative production outlook.

The vocational segment, previously more stable, is now showing signs of pressure. Softness in construction and private infrastructure demand, coupled with slower public sector disbursements, has led to declining orders across multiple non-tractor configurations. Elevated inventories and high financing costs are also weighing on municipal and utility fleet budgets.

Class 8 Truck Orders Snapshot

Preliminary North American Class 8 net orders for July totaled 13,172 units, a modest sequential gain but still below replacement thresholds and down from year-ago levels. Tractor orders saw a slight month-over-month lift, attributed more to delayed planning than improving fundamentals, while vocational orders declined again, signaling waning momentum across work truck segments.

Fleet order strategies remain centered on cost control, lifecycle management, and navigating regulatory ambiguity—particularly as the EPA 2027 timeline remains unresolved. With backlogs now at their lowest level since 2016 and OEMs cutting daily builds to match limited visibility, the industry appears to be entering a more pronounced contraction phase, with no near-term catalyst in sight.

To learn more about the current dynamics in the commercial vehicle industry, check out the State of the Industry reports. And to see what ACT forecasts will happen in the Class 8 market over the next few years, check out the North America commercial vehicle forecast.