ACT Research News Updates

U.S. trailer orders defied seasonal expectations in July, though the resulting gain from the prior year was against lukewarm results.

U.S. medium-duty truck sales gained momentum in July due largely to a jump in the Class 6 market, which showed a 39.4% year-over-year increase.

U.S. Class 8 retail truck sales surpassed year-ago levels for a second straight month, with Omdia Automotive data showing that July purchases increased 2.2%.

Class 8 truck orders rose sharply on a year-over-year basis in July, but full 2026 production backlogs and uncertainty over EPA rules cloud the outlook.

Rather than plan around a national transition to zero-emission trucks, fleets are weighing total cost of ownership, operational feasibility and customer expectations.

Used Class 8 truck sales in June further strengthened in response to freight conditions and inventory constraints, according to ACT Research data.

U.S. Class 8 retail sales came in slightly above the previous year in June after a yearlong stretch of declines.

Green shoots were obvious to Wabash executives when the company reported Q1 earnings May 1, but customer interest outpaced expectations for Q2.

The parent company of Freightliner and Western Star is seeing heavy replacement demand from larger on-highway fleets in particular, DTNA CEO John O’Leary said.

North American Class 8 truck orders hit their largest year-over-year increase in seven months of consecutive gains.