Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/588174
CHANGING LANES 24 NOVEMBER 2015 // WWW.CHANGINGLANESDIGITAL.COM On The Road by James Jaillet Following record Class 8 orders in the late part of 2014 and the subsequent settling of orders seen in recent months, data on Class 8 truck orders still suggests demand above that of simple replacement cycles, said FTR's Eric Starks. Though the economy is showing mixed signals and freight demand is expected to be choppy in the coming months, the next year and a half look positive for truck orders, Stark said. He expects total net Class 8 orders to be between 325,000 and 330,000 for 2015 and fall to 290,000 next year and 260,000 in 2017. Despite the Where are truck and trailer orders headed? In a Class 8 demand outlook at FTR's Transportation Conference in September, Starks said utilization of equipment is about 90 percent right now, a few points above the mark that typically indicates fleet growth. "Anything about 85 to 88 percent suggests you need to be adding equipment into the fleet," he said. "Things are still a little bit tight."