ACT Research reported preliminary NA Class 8 net orders in September were 53,700 units, while NA Classes 5-7 net orders were 26,600 units. Complete industry data for September, including final order numbers, will be published by ACT Research in mid-October.

“The strength in orders reflects OEMs’ having fully opened their orderboards for 2023 a bit earlier than normal, as the seasonally weak period for truck orders typically runs May-September,” said Eric Crawford, ACT’s Vice President and Senior Analyst. “As such, typical seasonal adjustment is not as useful a statistic this month: September’s orders translate to 60,900 on an SA basis (+161 percent month over month, +94 percent year over year), equivalent to more than 730k units on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis.”

Crawford noted, “Using an October seasonal adjustment factor (typically the beginning of next-year orders) would translate to 43,800 units, equivalent to ~526k on an annualized basis. September Class 8 orders were sensational no matter how you slice the data. Over the past 12 months, 249,800 Class 8 orders have been booked.” About medium-duty orders, he added, “MD demand was strong. September Classes 5-7 orders increased 39 percent sequentialy (+7 percent year over year) to 26,600 units.”