FTR: Heavy duty truck orders at 12-year high

Net orders for North American Class 8 trucks in January 2018 jumped 28 percent from the previous month and 116 percent compared with January 2017, according to preliminary data from freight forecaster FTR Transportation Intelligence.    Net orders for North American Class 8 trucks totaled 47,200 units in January 2018, the highest level since 2006, according to preliminary data from freight forecaster FTR Transportation Intelligence.
   The January order activity represented a 28 percent increase from the previous month and a 116 percent jump compared with January 2017.
   FTR said total North American Class 8 orders for the past twelve months have now reached 316,000 units.
   “Orders for heavy duty trucks surged to start 2018,” Jonathan Starks, chief operating officer of FTR, said in a statement “These levels were well above our already strong expectations and continue to indicate that the equipment markets are still reacting to the tight capacity in the truck marketplace.
   “January is normally a seasonally weaker month, except when the market is on a clear upswing,” he added. “Capacity continues to remain historically tight and truckers are taking advantage of the opportunity with spot rates on the Truckstop.com load board up 30 percent year-over-year in January. Near-record levels can’t last for long, but orders could stay quite elevated throughout the spring.”