Although orders were slower in December, 2015 was the trailer industry's best shipment year in history, just edging out the previous record set in 1999, according to the most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co.
The supply of Class 8 trucks continues to rise faster than demand for trucks, according to the most recent ACT For-Hire Trucking Index from ACT Research Co.
Preliminary figures for the month of October, show that 47,200 Classes 5-8 vehicle orders were booked, up 14% from September but down 30% compared to the robust net orders in October 2014.
NG powered Class 8 truck and bus sales continue, but at a slower pace compared to 2014, as well as when calculated as a percentage of the total market, according to a report from ACT Research. The "Natural Gas Quarterly" attributes the rapidly declining cost of diesel with making the return on investment for adoption of natural gas less lucrative.
For the month of August, 37,200 orders for vehicles in classes 5-8 were booked, down 8 percent from July and down 14 percent compared to August 2014. However, these numbers are preliminary. Actual numbers will be published in mid-September.
Used Class 8 truck metrics were generally in line from June to July, with average age and miles up an incremental 1 percent each. Compared to last year, average prices were up 2 percent in July and 6 percent year to date, according to the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, published by ACT Research.
China's heavy and medium truck and tractor markets remained soft in the first quarter of 2015. Total sales (domestic and export) were just over 135,000 heavy trucks and tractors in Q1'15, compared to approximately 162,000 units sold in Q4'14, a decline of more than 33 percent year over year and 16 percent quarter over quarter. This was reported in the most recent China Commercial Vehicle Outlook, jointly published quarterly by ACT and China's State Information Center (SIC). The Outlook includes an overview of the China economy and a review and forecast of China's heavy and medium-duty truck and bus markets, as well as analysis of OEM market shares within China.
Total reported volumes of used Class 8 trucks climbed to 2,770 units in March, a jump of 14 percent month over month and 5 percent year over year, according to the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, published by ACT Research.
Truckers are ordering new equipment in record numbers, but are not turning to natural-gas-fueled trucks as fast as had been projected two years ago, according to a report from ACT Research.