February heavy-duty truck net orders were up 20 percent from the previous month and from February 2009
, according to ACT Research.

In the latest release of the State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles, ACT says net orders for Class 8 vehicles landed at 7,900 units. However, the prior month and prior year period were among the weakest periods on record, ACT said. February's net orders were still well below normal levels and consistent with expectations. According to ACT, the last of the pre-EPA 2010 build slots were filled in December.

Medium-duty net orders showed similar trends, with an increase of 12 percent from February of last year.

"The implementation of the EPA 2010 emission mandate continues to hold down orders in the near term," said Kenny Vieth, partner and senior analyst with ACT. "Looking at orders by geography confirms this as the non-mandate markets - Mexico and exports - are performing relatively well while Canada and the U.S. continue to be weak."