Truck Orders Fall in April

Heavy truck orders for major North American manufacturers in April were down 9 percent from March and 57 percent from April 2008 with no improvement in sight, according to data compiled by FTR Associates.

“We don’t see any near term increases in Class 8 order activity because the fundamentals of the trucking industry today don’t support that,” said FTR Associates President Erik Starks. “FTR takes a hard look at everything likely to impact Class 8 sales. Right now that data indicates no significant improvement in new equipment demand.”

Preliminary data showed net orders for Class 8 trucks totaled 7,935 units in April, which includes orders for the U.S., Canada, Mexico and exports. April orders reflect an annualized rate of 95,220 units and “continue to represent a significantly depressed Class 8 retail sales environment,” FTR said.

Contact John Gallagher at jgallagher@joc.com .