June Truck Orders Surge 41.3%

Class 8 truck orders jumped 41.3% in June from a year earlier as fleets continued to invest in new equipment to better meet rising freight demand, ACT Research reported.

North American truck manufacturers received about 26,600 net orders last month, compared with 18,831 in June 2013, according to the firm’s preliminary data.

June’s total also edged up 1.9% from the 26,115 orders booked in May.

ACT Vice President Steve Tam said June’s elevated total was “very uncharacteristic” for that time of year, when order activity usually begins to wane.

Last month’s order intake was the highest total for June since hitting 28,095 in 2005.

In the first half of 2014, incoming orders have totaled 168,799, up 27.8% from 132,123 in the first six months of 2013.

Net orders have surpassed the 24,000 mark and have risen from year-ago levels in each month this year.

June’s year-over-year growth was the industry’s strongest since a 50.8% jump in January.