Q1 Trucking Industry Forecast

In spite of the frozen winter, forecasts for trucking are looking like Spring!

Positive signals include strong month-end demand in spot market loads, increases in demand for a variety of fleets Van, Reefer, and Flatbeds. ACT Research reports that premlinary estimates show Class 8 North American orders up 9% from December and even more impressively, up 51% from a year ago. Similarly, ACT shows Class 5-7 31% up from a year ago. FTR Research believes that the OEMs are in a good position with the December - January Class 8 orders "to hit Q1 targets with possible increases in production in Q2". CK Commercial Vehicle Research (CKCVR) produced a report last month that indicated that 62% of the fleet executives planned to place orders for Class 8 trucks in the next three months and 48% plan to place trailer orders. Read more about the good news here.