Regulatory Uncertainty and Tariffs Constrain Commercial Vehicle Demand

Preliminary Class 8 commercial vehicle orders in September totaled 18,700 units, representing a 9.5% decline year-over-year, according to ACT Research’s North American Commercial Vehicle OUTLOOK for October. This decline is attributed to supply chain challenges and uncertainty surrounding the final EPA’27 rule. Conversely, US trailer net orders surged more than 55% month-over-month and were up 40% year-to-date through August.

Tariffs, elevated energy prices, and rising interest rates are constraining purchasing power and raising business costs across the economy. This combination of factors is limiting production scale and causing market distortions within the global economy.

Tariffs are raising prices and causing market distortions within the global economy.