Truck, Engine OEMs Plan Layoffs as Orders for New Tractors Fall

everal signs of the long-expected drop in truck production are beginning to appear, as a new report on Class 8 orders showed a significant year-over-year decline and another engine maker announced layoffs.

At the same time, two large fleet owners said they would avoid buying trucks with new engines built to meet tightened federal emission standards effective next year.

Kirk Thompson, chief executive officer of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, said Nov. 3 his firm bought 2,650 trucks this year, but “we will buy zero longhaul trucks in 2007.”