Fleets ordered 23,300 Class 8 trucks in North America during February, 4.2% more than they had a year earlier, ending a string of 13 straight year-over-year declines, according to ACT Research.

North American truck buyers ordered fewer Class 8 trucks in January than they did a year ago, but total orders still topped the 20,000 mark for the fourth straight month, ACT Research reported.

Factory orders rose 1.8% in December, the Commerce Department reported Monday.

Customers ordered 21,300 heavy-duty trucks in North America in December, in line with the full year’s business levels but far below the corresponding month in 2011, ACT Research Co. reported.

New Class 8 truck orders slipped to 20,200 in November from a nine-month high the previous month, as truck buyers increasingly turned their focus to next year, ACT Research reported.

Factory orders dropped 5.2% in August, the biggest decrease since January 2009, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

New heavy-duty truck orders fell 23.4% to 16,200 in August from a year earlier, according to preliminary figures from ACT Research Co., and some truck makers said they plan more downtime at plants in order to trim production.

New Class 8 truck orders plunged 31.1% in July from the year-ago level to 12,900, the lowest monthly total since August 2010, according to preliminary data from ACT Research Co.

North American Class 8 truck orders fell 22.3% in June from a year earlier to 16,500, the lowest monthly figure since September 2010, according to preliminary data from ACT Research Co.

North American heavy truck orders fell 28% in June to 16,500, the sixth consecutive year-over-year decline, reflecting a seasonal slowdown and continued caution by potential buyers, ACT Research reported.