June truck orders for all major North American OEMs rose 9.7 percent from May
, according to a report by FTR Associates. This is the first rise in three months.

Total net orders for Class 8 models, which includes the U.S., Canada, Mexico and exports, increased to 8,101 units in June. However, the month's orders were still down 52.7 percent from the same month in 2008. The annualized rate for orders placed amounted to 97,212, an improvement over the past three-month annualized rate of 94,872 units.

"June's increase is a welcome sign that the heavy-duty market continues to stabilize, although at very low levels," said Eric Starks, president of FTR. "We expect to see additional slow improvement through the end of the year, but meaningful increases in equipment purchases will necessarily await higher freight demand. We do not foresee more freight moving for some time yet."