Build inventory and asset strategy around a clearer market view.

Dealers, rental, and leasing firms operate at the intersection of new equipment demand, used equipment values, customer replacement timing, fleet utilization, and residual-risk exposure.

ACT helps your team connect commercial vehicle demand, freight conditions, used truck values, trailer trends, and broader economic signals into a forward-looking market view that supports smarter inventory, pricing, remarketing, leasing, and portfolio decisions.

• Inventory & Demand Planning: Track production, orders, retail sales, inventory, and segment-level demand signals to support better stock and sales planning.
• Used Value & Residual Risk: Monitor used truck pricing, resale trends, and replacement-cycle signals that may affect trade values, lease assumptions, and remarketing outcomes.
• Fleet & Portfolio Strategy: Connect freight conditions, equipment demand, utilization, and economic indicators to asset planning, rental strategy, and portfolio risk management.

Market intelligence for inventory, asset, and portfolio decisions

ACT Research helps dealers, rental, and leasing firms evaluate the market signals that influence inventory levels, customer demand, used values, residual risk, trade timing, and asset performance across commercial vehicle and trailer markets.

• Inventory Trends & Market Demand: Track production cycles, orders, backlog, retail sales, inventory levels, and segment demand to support stock planning and customer conversations.
• Used Vehicle Pricing & Sales Data: Monitor used truck values, sales activity, inventory, age, and mileage trends to support pricing, acquisition, trade, and remarketing decisions.
• Freight & Economic Context: Connect freight conditions, fleet profitability, equipment demand, and economic activity to leasing, rental, and dealer market strategy.
• Residual-Risk Signals: Understand how used values, replacement cycles, customer demand, and market timing may affect residual assumptions and portfolio exposure.

Who uses ACT dealer, rental, and leasing intelligence?

ACT supports teams that need a clearer view of equipment demand, used values, inventory conditions, customer behavior, and asset risk.

• Commercial Vehicle Dealers: Align inventory, sales strategy, customer conversations, and trade timing with current and future market conditions.
• Rental and Leasing Firms: Evaluate utilization, fleet mix, residual exposure, replacement timing, and asset strategy with stronger market context.
• Remarketing Teams: Track used values, transaction activity, inventory, and customer demand to support resale and redeployment decisions.
• Finance and Risk Teams: Use market-cycle intelligence to assess collateral values, lease assumptions, and portfolio exposure.
• Fleet and Procurement Teams: Monitor used values, equipment availability, and replacement-cycle timing for better acquisition and disposal decisions.

Updated July 31, 2026

Market Update - Dealers & Leasing

July 2026 Update

In a Supply-Constrained Market, Asset Providers Shift Toward Flexibility and Cost Management

July brings a firmer but still disciplined environment for dealers, rental operators, and leasing providers. ACT’s latest reporting shows North American Class 8 orders more than tripled year over year in June and increased 25% sequentially on a seasonally adjusted basis. Tractor demand led the improvement as stronger freight rates, constrained capacity, replacement needs, and EPA 2027 planning supported fleet interest.

For asset providers, the signal is not broad expansion. It is a more constructive replacement market in which customers remain focused on cost, flexibility, and operating risk. Equipment prices, financing costs, insurance expenses, maintenance requirements, and regulatory uncertainty continue to influence purchasing decisions. Lease flexibility, uptime support, and trade-cycle planning are therefore becoming more valuable parts of the customer conversation.

Fleets Are Delaying Expansion, but Replacement Demand Is Strengthening

Broad fleet expansion remains measured, but the replacement environment is becoming more constructive. Aggregate truckload spot rates, excluding fuel, increased 43% year over year in June, while contract rates were 13% higher. Driver availability remains tight, and for-hire capacity continues to contract.

These conditions can improve fleet confidence, but they do not eliminate the need for capital discipline. Customers are more likely to prioritize equipment that addresses aging assets, maintenance exposure, fuel efficiency, regulatory readiness, and operating reliability.

For dealers, rental companies, and leasing providers, this supports a healthier sales pipeline without necessarily creating an indiscriminate buying cycle. Leasing and rental structures may be particularly attractive to fleets that need newer equipment or additional capacity but remain reluctant to assume the full ownership, financing, and residual-value exposure.

Used-truck conditions should remain part of these discussions. Firmer freight rates may support replacement confidence and demand for tradeable equipment, but used values and transaction activity remain sensitive to carrier profitability, financing availability, equipment condition, and new-truck deliveries. Asset managers should distinguish between improving trade-cycle conditions and a broad, sustained increase in used-equipment demand.

Leasing and Sales Strategies Must Reflect a Risk-Managed Mindset

Fleet buyers are balancing replacement requirements against cost volatility, regulatory timing, and uneven freight demand. This creates an opportunity for asset providers that can align equipment solutions with customer cash flow, operating needs, and risk tolerance.

That may include:

· Structuring lease terms with renewal, purchase, conversion, or upgrade options
· Bundling maintenance, uptime, and telematics support where appropriate
· Incorporating EPA 2027 planning and fuel-efficiency considerations into longer-term agreements
· Providing structured trade-in pathways for aging or maintenance-intensive assets
· Matching payment structures and equipment commitments to customer utilization expectations

Demand is likely to be strongest where the replacement rationale is clearest. Day cabs and regional tractors may benefit from tighter freight capacity and changing network requirements. Vocational equipment continues to receive support from infrastructure, utility, energy, construction, and data-center-related investment. Long-haul tractor interest is also improving, but elevated total cost of ownership and uneven carrier profitability continue to limit broad expansion behavior.

Inventory Management Is Critical

Inventory and asset strategy remain central in a market where demand is improving but still uneven. Class 8 backlogs reached a 38-month high in June, improving OEM production visibility, while third- and fourth-quarter build plans moved higher.

For dealers, lessors, and rental operators, stronger order activity improves the equipment-availability outlook but also increases the importance of timing. More production does not automatically translate into evenly distributed customer demand. Inventory commitments should remain tied to demonstrated replacement needs, customer financing capacity, regional exposure, and application-specific demand.

Trailer conditions reinforce the need for selective positioning. Firmer truckload rates and tighter capacity are supporting replacement discussions, but the trailer recovery remains less established than the Class 8 improvement. Fleet purchases remain primarily replacement-focused, while backlog quality, cancellations, financing conditions, and segment-level demand require continued attention.

Relative strength should be monitored in:

· Day cabs and regional tractors
· Dry vans serving tightening truckload networks
· Refrigerated equipment where fleet age and specialized-capacity constraints support replacement
· Vocational units tied to utilities, infrastructure, energy, construction, and data-center investment
· Flatbeds and specialized trailers serving project-related freight

Higher-spec sleeper tractors, weaker cyclical applications, and assets tied to less resilient freight segments may still require active pricing, targeted deployment, and disciplined rotation.

Inventory Discipline Remains Strategic

July reinforces that the commercial vehicle market is improving, but asset providers still need to manage exposure carefully. Stronger freight rates, constrained capacity, and replacement requirements are supporting customer engagement. At the same time, financing costs, equipment prices, operating expenses, and uncertainty surrounding EPA 2027 continue to shape purchasing behavior.

Key focus areas include:

· Aligning inventory and asset allocation with confirmed customer demand
· Limiting idle exposure in weaker applications or regions
· Building compliance and equipment flexibility into customer agreements
· Incorporating fuel efficiency, maintenance, utilization, and uptime into sales and leasing strategies
· Using used-equipment activity and customer financial health to manage residual-value risk
· Monitoring order conversion, production timing, and cancellations before expanding commitments

As replacement activity strengthens, asset providers that offer flexible, reliable, and cost-aware solutions will be better positioned to support customers while protecting utilization, margins, and residual values. The market is becoming more constructive, but the advantage will accrue to providers that respond selectively rather than treating stronger order activity as evidence of broad-based expansion.

Market guidance for inventory, leasing, and asset decisions

ACT helps dealers, rental firms, and leasing providers understand the market signals that affect equipment demand, customer replacement timing, used values, residual risk, and portfolio performance.

Our intelligence supports teams responsible for sales, finance, inventory, leasing, rental, remarketing, risk management, and executive planning with a clearer view of freight conditions, commercial vehicle demand, production trends, used truck values, trailer markets, and regulatory timing.

With ACT Research, dealer, rental, and leasing teams can:

• Make stronger inventory decisions with current market analysis and forward-looking commercial vehicle forecasts.
• Evaluate residual and asset risk with better visibility into used truck values, replacement timing, and market-cycle movement.
• Connect freight conditions to customer demand by understanding how rates, fleet profitability, and capacity conditions may affect equipment purchasing behavior.
• Support remarketing and trade strategy with intelligence on used values, inventory, transaction activity, and resale timing.
• Spot risks and opportunities earlier across freight, economic, regulatory, equipment, and used-market signals.
• Support financial and executive planning with market assumptions your team can defend.