Preliminary figures from ACT Research indicate September net orders for Classes 5-8 vehicles met expectations.
Classes 5-7 vehicle orders are expected to come in at 16,500 units while Class 8 orders were up to 20,100 units, an improvement from both August 2013 and September 2012 results.
"Based on ACT's analysis, September is typically the second weakest order month of the year for Class 8, so modest activity was expected," said Kenny Vieth, ACT's president and senior analyst. "September's order volume was the best since May and represents gains of 27% compared to last September and to Q312. Seasonal adjustment boosts September's Class 8 orders to 23,200 units/278,000 SAAR. In seasonally adjusted terms, September's Class 8 order intake was the second best since January 2012."
Over the past eight months, Classes 5-7 orders have averaged 16,600 units per month, ACT reports. Compared to a year ago, orders were up 16% in September and 20% for all of Q3.
