January truck orders drop

Preliminary data estimate January Class 8 truck total net orders at 24,900 to 25,200 units for all major North American OEM’s, two research firms report.

January orders were down 17 percent from December and 9 percent lower than January 2011, FTR Associates said. Although the figures are down, the January activity is in line with those reported over the last six months, the firm said.

 “We continue to expect strong order activity as we finish the first quarter in preparation for the modestly robust freight environment that we anticipate for 2012,” said Jonathan Starks, FTR’s director of Transportation Analysis. “The three-month annualized rate of 300,000 orders is slightly above our current 2012 production outlook but well below the highs seen back in 2005 and 2006.

“The preliminary net orders for both Classes 5-7 and Class 8 support our forecasts for production in 2012,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT Research Co. president and senior analyst.