A survey of US-based fleets indicates more are looking to order Class 8 tractors in the next three months than were looking to do so the previous quarter.
The Q3 Fleet Sentiment Survey, conducted CK Commercial Vehicle Research, found 65% of responding fleets indicated they’d be placing orders for Class8 trucks in the next three months. This was up from 53% who said they’d be ordering trucks in the Q2 survey.
The estimated size of the orders was down quarter-over-quarter, but significantly higher year-over-year, at 6.1% of participants’ inventory versus 1.4% of their inventory in the Q3 2012 survey.
Expected trailer order activity was down in the third quarter, both year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter, CKCVR reported.
Other findings included: the percentage of fleets that “need more equipment” to meet freight demand continues to grow; the average age for Class 8 vehicles among respondents was 5.2 years, with trailers averaging 8.9 years; overall environment for the fleets surveyed was good; and still few units were intended to add capacity, although more fleets are growing capacity.
