class 8 orders

J.B. Hunt partnership with Kodiak reaches 50,000-mile milestone

J.B. Hunt partnership with Kodiak reaches 50,000-mile milestone
(Photo: J.B. Hunt)

On Wednesday, J.B. Hunt announced the completion of 50,000 autonomous long-haul trucking miles in a collaboration with autonomous trucking company Kodiak Robotics and Bridgestone Americas. The Kodiak autonomous trucks ship Bridgestone car tires between South Carolina and Dallas and have reported no accidents and 100% on-time pickup and delivery since launching in January. 

FreightWaves’ Todd Maiden writes: “The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/j-b-hunt-partnership-with-kodiak-reaches-50000-mile-milestone

Drop in Class 8 truck orders in March looks big but analysts aren’t worried

Orders for Class 8 trucks were down in March, according to the two key agencies that supply that data, but the decline is not being described as significant.

According to ACT Research, preliminary data shows that North America Class 8 net orders were 17,300 units in March, which was down 10,400 units from February and 8.7% from a year ago.

Meanwhile, FTR Transportation Intelligence reported a net order figure of 18,200 Class 8 vehicles last month. FTR said that is down 34% from its February...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/drop-in-class-8-truck-orders-in-march-looks-big-but-analysts-arent-worried

Tractor demand no longer necessarily a gauge for market health

Chart of the Week: ACT Research Equipment Orders – Class 8  SONAR: ORDERS.CL8

Class 8 truck orders remained unseasonably strong through the first few months of 2024, outperforming last February by over 20%, according to ACT Research. Freight-hauling semi trucks typically dominate this category and have been a good indicator of industry health, but like many indicators, this value’s implications have changed.

Ask transportation service providers the state of the national freight market, and they...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tractor-demand-no-longer-necessarily-a-gauge-for-market-health

New Class 8 truck deliveries fall for 4 consecutive months  

The strength in new Class 8 orders belies a four-month slide in deliveries while used truck prices continue to fall, albeit more slowly as 2023 comes to a close.

Through the first 11 months of the year, the industry has delivered 242,881 new Class 8 trucks, 7.8% more than the same period in 2022, according to Ward’s Intelligence. But the year-over-year lead has shrunk each month since February when sales were 35% ahead compared with 2022.

This contrasts with ACT Research, which reported net...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/new-class-8-truck-deliveries-fall-for-4-consecutive-months

Loaded and Rolling: Florida seeks CDL skills testing waiver

Florida seeks CDL skills testing waiver

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Monday published a notice in the Federal Register that the state of Florida is seeking an exemption to the CDL testing regulation pertaining to skills testing. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has applied for an exemption from the regulation that requires a three-part CDL skills test that must be completed in a specific order.

FreightWaves’...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/loaded-and-rolling-florida-seeks-cdl-skills-testing-waiver

Loaded and Rolling: Trucking turnover and retention debate rages on

Trucking turnover and retention debate rages on

(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

FreightWaves’ Rachel Premack wrote an article on Wednesday outlining her experience attending a truck driver training conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, by the National Association of Publicly-Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS). Premack sought to get more information on a fundamental disagreement in trucking that involves driver turnover and whether there is an ongoing driver shortage. Lobbying groups like the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/loaded-and-rolling-trucking-turnover-and-retention-debate-rages-on

Class 8 catch-up largely over as replacement iron drives orders

Pent-up demand for new Class 8 trucks in a slowing freight market has rebalanced equipment orders to replacement purchases.

This is not an altogether bad thing as manufacturers look to a slower quarter with more holidays.

“The Class 8 backlog should rise by around 3,400 units when full October data are released in mid-November,” Kenny Vieth, ACT Research president and senior analyst, said. “If those numbers hold, Class 8 backlogs will have ended October at around 165,000 units.”

That’s a healthy...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/class-8-catch-up-largely-over-as-replacement-iron-drives-orders

Loaded and Rolling: 70% of annual RFP lanes procured not materializing

70% of annual RFP lanes procured not materializing

(Source: MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics)

FreightWaves on Tuesday interviewed Angela Acocella, postdoctoral researcher at Tilburg University and researcher with the MIT Center of Transportation and Logistics looking at the impact of ghost lanes on shipper and carrier networks. A ghost lane can be characterized as a lane that is awarded in a strategic bid or RFP but failed to materialize and no loads are tendered. During the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/loaded-and-rolling-70-of-annual-rfp-lanes-procured-not-materializing

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