Class 8 truck orders have not been this low since July 2002, according to preliminary data released by FTR Associates. Covering the U.S., Canada, Mexico and exports, January 2010 Class 8 net orders for major North American OEMs were 6,221 units.

In January, orders were down 46.4 percent from December and 20.1 percent from January 2009.

"The very low order activity for January was not unexpected," said Eric Starks, president of FTR. "When fleets took advantage of open build slots in late 2009, we knew this activity would take away from planned orders in the New Year. We continue to expect a soft first half for 2010 but believe some demand will slowly return late in the year. Our overall annual forecast for Class 8 production this year remains relatively flat from 2009, with significant improvement expected in 2011."

FTR will release final data for January later this month.




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