Class 8 truck orders were down in May with just over 20,500 units moved in the month, according to the latest numbers from ACT Research. 

Despite the low numbers, the Class 8 market performed to expectations in May, according to Steve Tam, ACT’s vice president-- commercial vehicle sector.

“While focusing on the order intake of the past may bring feelings of euphoria, a glance into near term expectation is sobering and much more instructive,” said Tam. “Historical order placement practices suggest orders for the next four months will be 15% to 20% below average.”

The medium-duty market, however, saw an increase in May with 19,900 orders of Class 5-7 trucks posted in the month. The number of orders was 22% higher compared with May 2014 and on a seasonally adjusted basis, these trucks are selling at a pace of 230,000 units this year, which is meeting expectations.

“The medium-duty market in May bucked seasonal expectations, which called for moderate slowing, but the intake resulted in a nearly 11% sequential gain,” said Tam.