Preliminary data shows September Class 8 truck net orders up 21.6 percent over the previous month and 38.8 percent better than a year ago.


FTR Associates reports net orders for all major North American OEM's at 14,872 units. Orders for the six-month period including September puts orders on track for 163,100 units for the year. The figure includes U.S., Canada, Mexico and Exports.

"Net orders for September came in about where we expected," said Eric Starks, president of FTR "While better than August, [they] aren't indicative of any significant shift in fleet buying plans that would result in strong growth next year.

"We'll closely watch the next two months because they are typically the strongest in the seasonal cycle. If orders don't come in at close to 20,000 in October and higher in November, that will be evidence in our view that many fleets will continue to sit on the sidelines until they are more comfortable of a sustained economic recovery.

Final data for September will be available from FTR later in the month as part of its North American Commercial Truck & Trailer Outlook service.