Demand for commercial vehicle sales in September was up 21% from a year ago according to the latest report from ACT Research.

“Class 8 orders continued to be booked ahead of seasonal expectations,” said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst of ACT. “Historically, September is the weakest month of the year for Class 8 orders, so some moderation was expected.”

There were 29,400 Class 8 orders in September, down 500 units from August but up 32% compared to September of last year.  In the past 12 months there have been 540,000 Class 5-8 vehicles ordered, the best such period since November of 2005.

Medium-duty sales fared better with 18,500 orders, a slight uptick compared to August and the best month since April.

“September is historically a strong month for school bus chassis orders, which remained elevated, so there is an expectation for stronger overall medium-duty orders during the month,” said Vieth.