December orders of Class 8 commercial vehicles climbed 37 percent to 11,919 units from the year ago month

, according to ACT Research.

In the latest release of the State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles, ACT said the last four months of 2009 were the strongest of a very soft year for Class 8 net orders. For the full year, Class 8 net orders were 33 percent below 2008 levels. For medium-duty Class 5-7, net orders were down 8 percent from December of last year and down 35 percent for the full year.

"Class 8 net orders exceeded expectations in December as the last of the pre-EPA2010 emissions mandate build slots were filled," said Kenny Vieth, partner and senior analyst with ACT. "Additionally, orders to countries not subject to the emissions mandate were strong, with Mexico and other export markets posting their highest order volumes since early 2008."

More info: www.actresearch.net