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Class 8 truck orders soared sequentially in December, a shift that experts attributed more to buyer trepidation over new emissions technologies than enthusiasm with business conditions.

Monthly orders data has trended below prior-year results since the start of the year. President Trump’s focus on tariffs has created uncertainty for both OEMs and truck buyers.

ACT Research preliminary data showed orders decreased 44% year over year to 20,800 units. But they increased 57.6% from the 13,200 units reported in August.

North American Class 8 truck orders fell year over year for an eighth consecutive month in August.

North American Class 8 truck orders remained below the previous year’s results and also lost ground sequentially during June, according to ACT Research.

North American Class 8 truck orders jumped in December compared with the same month a year earlier, according to ACT Research, for the first such increase since May.

Orders placed with U.S. factories for business equipment rose in May for a second month, indicating companies continue to make longer-term investments despite high borrowing costs.

No need any longer to wonder about pent-up demand for Class 8 trucks, North American Class 8 orders in September surged past 53,000 to set an all-time high and nearly doubled those of a year earlier, ACT Research reported.

U.S. trailer orders in July roared ahead compared with a year earlier but slumped compared with earlier months this year, ACT Research reported, citing trailer makers’ final data.

A rosy supply chain arriving this holiday season to release handcuffed truck makers and reward fleets awaiting new trucks would certainly be a great gift to the industry — well, maybe next year.