Orders for Class 8 truck tires during the month of January dropped to the lowest monthly level since 2002, according to a report by FTR Associates, which tracks trucking industry trends.
Total net orders last month came to 6,211 units. "The very low order activity for January was not unexpected," says FTR President Eric Starks. "When fleets took advantage of open build slots in late 2009, we knew this activity would take awat from planned orders in the new year.
"We continued to expect a soft first half for 2010, but we believe some demand will slowly return late in the year. Our overall annual forecast for Class 8 production this year remains relatively flat from 2009."
