FTR Transportation Intelligence

August Class 8 truck orders reflect spot freight demand

Preliminary Class 8 tractor orders in August reflect robust spot freight rates as pandemic-driven demand for consumables over services continues.

ACT Research reported 19,500 preliminary net orders, down 4% from July, but up 75% from an easy year-ago comparison. FTR Transportation Intelligence pegged orders at 20,500 units with net orders totaling 177,000 over the last 12 months.

Counting Class 5-7 medium-duty trucks, truck orders rose to an eight-month high. The third consecutive month of gains...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/august-class-8-truck-orders-reflect-spot-freight-demand

Freight demand takes Class 8 truck orders for a ride in July

Class 8 truck orders in July reached 20,000 for the first time in six months as growing freight demand created a need for more equipment despite economic uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic.

FTR Transportation Intelligence reported a 28% month-over-month increase. It pegged the rolling 12-month average for orders at 168,000, up from 159,000.

“The order activity for both June and July was more robust than expected and is good news for the equipment producers,” said Jonathan Starks, FTR chief...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freight-demand-drives-up-class-8-truck-orders-in-july

US rail volumes still under pressure

A photograph of a hopper car parked in a rail yard.

U.S. weekly rail traffic is still facing double-digit percentage declines, with carloads once again down by over 20% since the same period in 2019.

U.S. rail volumes on a weekly basis totaled 449,092 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending July 11, according to the Association of American Railroads. This is a 14.9% decline compared with the same period in 2019.

Of that total, weekly U.S. carloads were down 22.7% to 201,703, while U.S. intermodal units totaled 247,389 containers and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/us-rail-volumes-still-under-pressure

June Class 8 truck orders rebound to four-month high

Volvo VNR on highway

Preliminary new Class 8 truck orders in North America rose 139% in June over May, following rebounding freight rates to set a four-month high. But industry experts do not expect a sustained comeback until later this year.

The 16,000 orders more than doubled combined bookings in April and May. That’s when shelter-in-place regulations led to a near collapse of the economy. Orders exceeded the same month a year ago by 23%, according to ACT Research,

“North American Class 8 net orders were up against...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/june-class-8-truck-orders-rebound-to-four-month-high

April Class 8 truck orders hit 25-year low

Truck hauling other trucks

Preliminary orders for Class 8 trucks plummeted to a 25-year low in April, the first full month of the coronavirus pandemic that impacted wide swaths of the economy, including new truck production.

ACT Research reported 4,100 orders of new tractors for the month, 72% below the same month a year ago and down 46% from March. ACT said it was the lowest month since September 1995 when, after accounting for cancellations, net orders were negative.

FTR Transportation Intelligence reported a preliminary...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/april-class-8-truck-orders-hit-25-year-low

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