ACT Research: Class 8 Truck Orders at 18,400 Units in January

ACT Research Co.
4 min readFeb 3, 2023

Preliminary NA Class 8 net orders in December were 18,400 units, while NA Classes 5–7 net orders were 17,800 units. Complete industry data for January, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-February.

January Preliminary Class 8 Net Orders 18,400 Units
January Preliminary Class 8 Net Orders 18,400 Units

ACT’s State of the Industry: Classes 5–8 Vehicles 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 activity-related 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. The Class 8 market is segmented into trucks and tractors, with and without sleeper cabs. The report includes a six-month industry build plan, a 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.

“Given how robust Class 8 orders were into year end, the relative pause in January is not surprising,” shared Eric Crawford, ACT’s Vice President and Senior Analyst. “We note that over the final four months of 2022, nearly 159k Class 8 net orders were placed, +92% y/y, and only 8% below those placed over the same period in 2020. January’s orders represent the first y/y decline in five months (August).”

He added, “MD demand was comparatively healthy. January Classes 5–7 orders rose 5% y/y (+2% m/m) to 17,800 units. The seasonally adjusted January intake, at 18,100 units, was +4% y/y (+12% m/m).”

January Preliminar Classes 5–7 Net Orders 17,800 Units
January Preliminary Classes 5–7 Net Orders 17,800 Units

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.

ACT Research: Commercial Vehicle State of The Industry: N.A. Truck Vehicles Classes 5–8

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Click below to access:
More information about ACT’s Classes 5–8 reports.
Information about other ACT Research publications.
December’s State of the Industry: Classes 5–8 Vehicles Preliminary press release.
January’s State of the Industry: Classes 5–8 Vehicles press release.
ACT’s In the News page.

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ACT Research Co.

ACT Research is the leader in commercial vehicle industry data, market analysis, and forecasting services for North America.