Researchers released preliminary data that shows commercial vehicle net orders were higher than expected last month.
Industry data publisher Americas Commercial Transportation (ACT) Research said this week that 13,300 medium-duty vehicles (Class 5-7) were ordered in December, and data figures for heavy-duty Class 8 will approach 30,100 units. The final numbers will be released later this month.
“This level of order intake was better than anticipated and was more than sufficient to support ACT’s 2012 forecast,” said Steve Tam, ACT vice president-commercial vehicle sector. “Even if orders don’t continue to increase sequentially, we have enough of a backlog cushion that our outlook remains solid. Conversely, if orders do continue to increase, it will put upward pressure on the forecast.”
While the newly released data signals a positive forecast for the commercial sector, in the school bus world, however, 2011 was another down year in terms of production levels. As reported in the 2010 School Transportation News Buyer’s Guide released this month, total output by the six school bus manufacturers was decreased by 25 percent during the production year that spanned from Nov. 1, 2010 through Oct. 31, 2011.
The 2010-2011 production year saw a total of 30,304 units produced, per manufacturer reports to STN, the lowest number in the last two decades. In 2009-2010, 40,670 school buses were produced in a year that reversed a three-year slide since an industry high was posted for the 2005-2006 school year at 47,915 units. Not coincidentally, that production year concluded just prior to the start of the Great Recession.
