Commercial Vehicle Market Intelligence for Dealers, Rental & Leasing Firms
Connect demand, inventory, used values, replacement timing, and residual-risk signals to stronger asset planning decisions.
ACT Research helps dealers, rental, and leasing firms understand the market signals shaping commercial vehicle demand, inventory strategy, used equipment values, lease assumptions, remarketing, and residual risk. With forward-looking forecasts, market data, and analyst interpretation, ACT gives your team a clearer view of the freight and equipment cycle so you can plan inventory, manage asset exposure, and make more confident portfolio decisions.
Get Transportation IntelligenceBuild inventory and asset strategy around a clearer market view.
Dealers, rental, and leasing firms operate at the intersection of new equipment demand, used equipment values, customer replacement timing, fleet utilization, and residual-risk exposure.
ACT helps your team connect commercial vehicle demand, freight conditions, used truck values, trailer trends, and broader economic signals into a forward-looking market view that supports smarter inventory, pricing, remarketing, leasing, and portfolio decisions.
- Inventory & Demand Planning: Track production, orders, retail sales, inventory, and segment-level demand signals to support better stock and sales planning.
- Used Value & Residual Risk: Monitor used truck pricing, resale trends, and replacement-cycle signals that may affect trade values, lease assumptions, and remarketing outcomes.
- Fleet & Portfolio Strategy: Connect freight conditions, equipment demand, utilization, and economic indicators to asset planning, rental strategy, and portfolio risk management.
"Without reliability, you have nothing; credibility goes out the window. At the end of the day, we found ACT Research to be the most reliable source in the marketplace."
Rusty Rush
Rush Enterprises, Inc.
Market intelligence for inventory, asset, and portfolio decisions
ACT Research helps dealers, rental, and leasing firms evaluate the market signals that influence inventory levels, customer demand, used values, residual risk, trade timing, and asset performance across commercial vehicle and trailer markets.
- Inventory Trends & Market Demand: Track production cycles, orders, backlog, retail sales, inventory levels, and segment demand to support stock planning and customer conversations.
- Used Vehicle Pricing & Sales Data: Monitor used truck values, sales activity, inventory, age, and mileage trends to support pricing, acquisition, trade, and remarketing decisions.
- Freight & Economic Context: Connect freight conditions, fleet profitability, equipment demand, and economic activity to leasing, rental, and dealer market strategy.
- Residual-Risk Signals: Understand how used values, replacement cycles, customer demand, and market timing may affect residual assumptions and portfolio exposure.
Who uses ACT dealer, rental, and leasing intelligence?
ACT supports teams that need a clearer view of equipment demand, used values, inventory conditions, customer behavior, and asset risk.
- Commercial Vehicle Dealers: Align inventory, sales strategy, customer conversations, and trade timing with current and future market conditions.
- Rental and Leasing Firms: Evaluate utilization, fleet mix, residual exposure, replacement timing, and asset strategy with stronger market context.
- Remarketing Teams: Track used values, transaction activity, inventory, and customer demand to support resale and redeployment decisions.
- Finance and Risk Teams: Use market-cycle intelligence to assess collateral values, lease assumptions, and portfolio exposure.
- Fleet and Procurement Teams: Monitor used values, equipment availability, and replacement-cycle timing for better acquisition and disposal decisions.
Forecasts and market intelligence for inventory and asset planning
U.S. Used Truck Price Forecast
Used truck value intelligence for collateral, residual-risk, and market-cycle analysis.
Used truck values can provide an important signal for transportation-sector health, fleet behavior, replacement timing, and collateral exposure.
ACT’s U.S. Used Truck Price Forecast helps investors, lenders, finance companies, and analysts evaluate used Class 8 tractor price trends by age and mileage group, with market context tied to freight demand, new truck availability, inventory, and macroeconomic conditions.
What It Offers
- Monthly used truck price forecasts for Class 8 tractors by age and mileage group
- Economic and market drivers affecting used truck prices
- Inventory, resale value, and replacement-cycle context
- Market intelligence for residual-risk and collateral-value analysis
Who Benefits
- Lenders and finance companies assessing collateral values and residual risk
- Investors and analysts using used truck prices as a transportation-sector health indicator
- Dealers, fleets, and remarketing teams evaluating inventory and resale expectations
North America Commercial Vehicle Outlook
Commercial vehicle forecasts for demand, production, and market planning.
ACT’s North America Commercial Vehicle Outlook helps manufacturers evaluate demand trends across Classes 4–8 vehicles and trailers over near- and long-term planning horizons.
It connects vehicle demand, economic indicators, fleet population trends, and market-cycle movement to help manufacturers align production, capacity, and strategic planning with future market conditions.
What It Offers
- Class 4–8 vehicle and trailer forecasts across 1-, 5-, and 10-year horizons
- Economic and industry drivers shaping commercial vehicle demand
- Fleet population, age, and replacement-cycle insights
- Market context for production, capacity, and demand planning
Who Benefits
- OEMs and suppliers aligning production and capacity with market demand
- Strategy, finance, and sales teams building market assumptions
- Investment and research teams tracking commercial vehicle industry performance
Discover the Data Driving Fleet Profitability
United States Used Trucks
Comprehensive Market Intelligence on North American Used Truck Classes 3-8
What It Offers:
- Monthly Sales and Price Trends: Detailed tracking of used truck sale transactions and pricing across Classes 3-8, giving insights into current market demand and valuation trends.
- Inventory Levels and Age Data: Analysis of used truck inventory levels, age distribution, and mileage, supporting informed buying and pricing strategies.
Who Benefits?
- Dealers needing insights into inventory demand to optimize stock and pricing.
- Fleet Managers planning replacements and valuing assets for future resale.
- Financiers and Investors seeking accurate valuation trends for lending or investment decisions.
North America Classes 5-8 Vehicles
Comprehensive Market Intelligence on North American Class 5-8 Vehicles
What It Offers:
- Monthly Production and Sales Data: In-depth coverage of monthly production, sales, and inventory levels for Class 5-8 trucks, providing critical insights into current and projected market conditions.
- Order Backlogs and Cancellation Rates: Detailed analysis of order backlogs, cancellation rates, and their implications for future demand, supporting accurate assessments of market momentum.
- Insights on Supply Constraints: Up-to-date information on supply chain pressures affecting Class 5-8 production, from parts shortages to labor availability, helping stakeholders manage and anticipate impacts on production timelines.
Who Benefits?
- OEMs and Tier 1 Suppliers optimizing production planning and adjusting to supply chain conditions based on total market data.
- Fleet Owners and Equipment Managers evaluating market trends to make informed decisions on fleet expansion, replacement, and capital investments.
- Logistics Companies and Freight Brokers monitoring equipment availability and market demand to plan capacity needs effectively.
- Investors and Analysts seeking data-driven insights into the performance and trajectory of the Class 5-8 market to guide investment strategies.
United States Trailers
Comprehensive Insights into the U.S. Trailer Market
What It Offers:
- Monthly Trailer Production and Factor Shipments: Timely reports on trailer production and factory shipments, providing a clear view of market demand, production capacity, and performance across the U.S. trailer industry.
- Backlog and Inventory Analysis: Detailed data on order backlogs and inventory levels, enabling stakeholders to assess production pipelines, capacity utilization, and inventory sufficiency.
- Order Cancellations and Net Orders: Insight into order trends, cancellations, and net order activity, supporting accurate assessments of demand shifts and overall market health.
- Segmented Market Insights: Breakdown of performance by trailer type (e.g., dry vans, reefers, flatbeds), offering targeted insights into each segment’s activity and growth trends.
Who Benefits?
- Trailer Manufacturers and Suppliers monitoring market demand and optimizing production planning to meet changing order levels.
- Dealers and Distributors aligning inventory with sales trends to maintain an optimal stock of high-demand trailer types.
- Fleet Managers and Equipment Buyers timing purchases based on production and inventory data to manage fleet needs and capital expenditure efficiently.
- Financial Analysts and Investors using trailer sales and production data as a barometer for economic and transportation sector trends, supporting data-driven investment decisions.
Updated May 27, 2026
Market Update - Dealers & Leasing
May 2026 Update
In a Supply-Constrained Market, Asset Providers Shift Toward Flexibility and Cost Management
May brings a firmer but still disciplined environment for dealers, rental operators, and leasing providers. Class 8 demand is improving as freight rates strengthen, capacity tightens, and fleets plan around 2027 regulatory timing. ACT’s latest Classes 5–8 report shows April Class 8 orders moved lower from March in line with normal seasonality, while the broader demand signal remains supported by better rate conditions, regulatory clarity, and replacement planning.
For asset providers, the message is not broad expansion. It is more selective replacement, tighter customer planning, and greater demand for flexible structures that manage cost and uptime risk. Fleets remain sensitive to equipment pricing, financing costs, operating expenses, and regulatory timing, making lease flexibility, maintenance support, and trade-cycle planning more valuable in customer conversations.
Fleets Are Delaying Expansion, But Replacement Demand Is Stabilizing
Fleet expansion remains measured, but replacement demand is stabilizing as freight conditions improve. Spot rates are leading the freight recovery, contract rates are beginning to follow, and tighter driver availability is changing the operating backdrop for fleets. ACT’s May Commercial Vehicle Outlook notes that a cyclical driver shortage is emerging for the first time since the previous shortage cycle ended in early 2022.
For dealers, rental firms, and leasing companies, this supports a more constructive sales pipeline, but not an indiscriminate buying cycle. Customers are more likely to prioritize equipment that improves uptime, fuel efficiency, regulatory readiness, and operating predictability. Leasing and rental structures may remain attractive where customers want newer equipment without taking on full capital exposure.
Used truck signals are also improving. ACT’s May Used Trucks report shows April same-dealer used Class 8 retail activity improved year over year, while average pricing moved higher. For asset managers and remarketing teams, firmer used values may support trade-cycle confidence and residual assumptions, though financing sensitivity and operating cost pressure remain important constraints.
Leasing and Sales Strategies Must Reflect a Risk-Managed Mindset
Fleet buyers are balancing replacement needs against cost volatility, regulatory timing, and uncertain demand growth. That creates an opening for dealers, rental firms, and leasing providers that can align equipment solutions with customer risk management.
That means:
· Structuring flexible lease terms with renewal, conversion, or upgrade options
· Bundling maintenance, uptime, and telematics support where appropriate
· Embedding EPA 2027 readiness and fuel-efficiency considerations into long-term agreements
· Providing structured trade-in pathways for aging assets
Customer demand is likely to remain strongest where replacement logic is clearest: day cabs, regional tractors, vocational configurations tied to infrastructure and utility work, and equipment aligned with essential freight lanes. Long-haul tractor interest is improving alongside better rate conditions, but high total cost of ownership continues to limit broad expansion behavior.
Inventory Management Is Critical
Inventory and asset strategy remain central in a market where demand is improving, but uneven. The March live version emphasized that leasing, rental, and dealership operators need greater precision and adaptability as fleets seek reliable, fuel-efficient, policy-ready equipment with flexible structures. That remains the right framework for May.
ACT’s latest trailer data also reinforces the need for careful asset positioning. April trailer net orders improved sequentially and rose sharply year over year, but backlogs remain thin and cancellations remain elevated despite improving from March. For rental and leasing operators, this suggests trailer demand is improving at the margin, but asset commitments should remain tied to customer visibility, utilization expectations, and segment-specific demand.
Relative strength should be monitored in:
· Day cabs and regional tractors
· Refrigerated equipment and essential freight applications
· Vocational units tied to utilities, infrastructure, energy, and data-center investment
· Trailer categories where backlog rebuilding and replacement demand are becoming clearer
Higher-spec sleeper tractors, softer cyclical applications, and assets tied to less resilient freight segments may still require active pricing, targeted deployment, and disciplined rotation.
Inventory Discipline Remains Strategic
May reinforces that the commercial vehicle market is improving, but still requires discipline. Dealers, rental firms, and leasing providers should continue managing asset exposure carefully as customers balance replacement needs, financing sensitivity, and EPA 2027 planning.
Key focus areas include:
· Maintaining disciplined asset allocation to limit idle exposure
· Embedding compliance flexibility and EPA 2027 readiness into customer agreements
· Incorporating fuel efficiency, maintenance, and uptime data into sales and leasing strategies
· Using used truck pricing and utilization signals to manage residual value risk
As replacement cycles strengthen and capacity tightens, asset providers that deliver flexible, reliable, and cost-aware solutions will be better positioned to support customers while protecting margin and residual exposure.
Why dealers, rental, and leasing firms choose ACT Research
Inventory, leasing, rental, and asset decisions depend on more than one market signal. ACT combines direct market data, disciplined forecasting methodology, analyst expertise, and long-standing industry relationships to help teams understand the freight, equipment, and used value signals shaping market performance.
- Proprietary commercial vehicle, freight, trailer, and used equipment market data
- Forecast methodology built on decades of market-cycle experience
- Analyst interpretation that connects demand, inventory, freight, and asset-value signals
- Market intelligence used by dealers, rental, leasing, finance, fleet, and investment teams
- Trusted perspective for evaluating inventory, residual risk, and replacement-cycle timing
Market guidance for inventory, leasing, and asset decisions
ACT helps dealers, rental firms, and leasing providers understand the market signals that affect equipment demand, customer replacement timing, used values, residual risk, and portfolio performance.
Our intelligence supports teams responsible for sales, finance, inventory, leasing, rental, remarketing, risk management, and executive planning with a clearer view of freight conditions, commercial vehicle demand, production trends, used truck values, trailer markets, and regulatory timing.
With ACT Research, dealer, rental, and leasing teams can:
- Make stronger inventory decisions with current market analysis and forward-looking commercial vehicle forecasts.
- Evaluate residual and asset risk with better visibility into used truck values, replacement timing, and market-cycle movement.
- Connect freight conditions to customer demand by understanding how rates, fleet profitability, and capacity conditions may affect equipment purchasing behavior.
- Support remarketing and trade strategy with intelligence on used values, inventory, transaction activity, and resale timing.
- Spot risks and opportunities earlier across freight, economic, regulatory, equipment, and used-market signals.
- Support financial and executive planning with market assumptions your team can defend.
Ready to connect market signals to your next inventory or asset decision?
ACT helps dealers, rental, and leasing firms connect commercial vehicle demand, freight conditions, used equipment values, trailer activity, and regulatory timing to stronger inventory, leasing, rental, and portfolio planning decisions.
Whether your team is managing stock levels, evaluating trade timing, setting lease assumptions, monitoring residual risk, planning remarketing strategy, or preparing for customer demand shifts, ACT can help you develop a clearer view of what comes next.
Questions about the right intelligence for your inventory or asset decisions?
ACT can help you identify the forecasts, market data, and analyst perspective that fit your inventory, leasing, rental, remarketing, or portfolio-planning needs.