Class 8 truck orders saw another bump in May but bottlenecks in the supply chain have kept production numbers constrained, according to ACT Research.
May Truck Orders Boom but Production is Constrained
Class 8 truck orders saw another bump in May but bottlenecks in the supply chain have kept production numbers constrained.

Class 8 and medium-duty Class 5-7 truck orders were both up slightly in the month of May, but production levels continue to lag behind demand.
ACT tracked May Class 8 truck orders at 35,608 units, a number that is up 125% over last year in the same month. But with production lagging behind truck orders, the backlog of orders is up to 219,600 units, just below the all-time peak experienced in March 2006.
“Class 8 production remained constrained in May due to parts-specific production constraints,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst at ACT. “We have heard anecdotes that there are thousands of red-tagged (off-the-assembly-line but incomplete) units waiting to be finished.”
Medium-duty Class 5-7 truck orders were only up by a few hundred units over April and is being driven primarily by the heavier-duty end of the market.
“Seasonally adjusted, orders were at a four-month high of 25,100 units,” said Vieth. “The heavier end of the medium duty market continues to outperform the lighter end, with Class 5 orders in May improving 3% year-to-date and the Classes 6-7 May orders bringing that segment’s ytd rise to 33%.”
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