According to ACT Research’s recently released Transportation Digest, the current business
environment for heavy-duty trucks does not get much better than it is now.

“Demand for commercial vehicles in North America is about as good as we’ve seen in 35 years of
monitoring heavy-duty market conditions,” Kenny Vieth, president, and senior analyst for ACT
Research said. “Times are so good that demand is far outrunning the industry’s ability to supply
right now and that will likely remain the case into the autumn and perhaps even through the
winter.

Regarding the COVD-19 impact on the trucking industry, Chris Wilcox CMO of Premier Business
Lending said, “The roller coaster ride down and up of the COVID cycle was about the same as in
the Great Recession, but the duration of the ride is happening in only 25% of the elapsed time.”
Wilcox elaborated these two considerations impact commercial vehicle demand, “Combining
record levels of freight demand with the constrained ability to bring supply to bear, carrier
profitability is projected to rise to record levels in the coming quarters, and as we’ve often opined,
fleets buy or at least order, equipment when they are making money. Orders for medium-duty
trucks, heavy-duty tractors, and trailers remain elevated, and with demand hot and production
constrained, backlogs are extended beyond traditional ranges.”