North American Class 8 truck net orders reached 40,560 units in November, indicating an extremely strong truck market, according to FTR. This is the second consecutive month above the 40,000 level, said the research firm.

According to FTR, Class 8 orders have totaled 363,000 in the last 12-month period.

“The rare back-to-back 40,000 unit months in October and November is a result of fleets placing orders into the middle of 2015 to secure build slots due to tight production capacity,” said Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles. “Confidence in the economy and positive factors in the trucking sector are motivating fleets to place orders very early in this cycle. Trucking capacity remains tight and fleets continue to need more trucks. Orders may be weaker at the beginning of 2015, since some fleets have half of their expected 2015 requirements already in the backlog.”