The month of May saw an 84 percent boost in net orders for Class 8 trucks, compared to the same month last year
, according to ACT Research.

In the latest release of the State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles, ACT reported 13,231 net orders of Class 8 vehicles in May. Over half of the orders will be delivered in the third quarter, an indication that fleets are looking to get new units on the road before the peak fall shipping season.

Medium-duty net orders were up 33 percent from May 2009, putting year-to-date growth at 18 percent. However, with continued weakness in the residential housing market and tightening state budgets, the medium-duty sector has not shown the same level of rebound as the heavy-duty sector, ACT says.

"For a third consecutive month, the Class 8 data were solid from top to bottom in May," said Kenny Vieth, partner and senior analyst with ACT. "With strong freight growth continuing to absorb excess capacity, trucker profits should soon follow. While there are still hurdles to clear, including used equipment prices and credit availability, the pendulum is swinging in favor of new truck demand."