Transport Topics (April 6, 2021)
Preliminary North American Class 8 net orders in March came in at about 40,000 units, according to ACT Research. That figure is 424% higher than the COVID-impacted intake in March 2020. ACT Vice President Steve Tam characterized the March numbers as a retrenching from the more than 44,000 in February. But he noted that Class 8 demand was still showing excellent resiliency, even with supply chain constraints slowing production. Research group FTR found preliminary numbers to be similarly positive. Don Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles at FTR, said, “To have this level of orders roll in for half a year is impressive and unprecedented.”
