Class 8 truck orders pick back up in February but a tough road lies ahead
vitpho/iStock via Getty Images

ACT Research said preliminary data showed that North American Class 8 truck orders in February were up 13% year-over-year and 27% month-over-month to 23,600 units. Classes 5-7 truck orders were down 11% year-over-year and off 2% month-over-month to 17,500 units.
The comparisons this year to last year will be favorable over the next few months with the period of supply chain issues being lapped. Class 8 truck orders took off in the summer of 2022 to peak in September at 53.7K units before starting to fade again on broader macro worries. ACT Senior Analyst Eric Crawford said the February tally displayed modest upside to expectations, but cautioned on the road ahead.
A recent industry trend has been that large fleets have continued to put in orders, while smaller and midsize fleets have pulled back.
Sector watch: PACCAR (NASDAQ:PCAR), Allison Transmission (ALSN), Cummins (CMI), Wabash National (WNC), Eaton (ETN), Daimler Truck (OTCPK:DTRUY), Volvo Group (OTCPK:VOLAF), J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT), TuSImple (TSP), Yellow Corporation (YELL), Nikola (NKLA), and Hyliion Holdings (HYLN).