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Heavy-duty commercial vehicle orders continue to lag as projected, according to FTR Associates' latest North American Commercial Truck & Trailer Outlook.

As a result, a previously stated ’09 forecast calling for a 47 percent drop in Class 8 truck production remains unchanged, according to the report, which projects orders for Class 8 and medium-duty trucks, and semi-trailers.

A slow recovery will begin in 2010, helping the Class 8 market regain some of the ground lost this year. However, 2010 heavy-duty commercial vehicle production still is anticipated to be about 30 percent below 2008 levels, the outlook states.

"While the near-term picture is becoming clearer every day, there is an unusual amount of uncertainty with regard to 2011 and beyond", said FTR President Eric Starks in a prepared statement. "The range of possible outcomes is still very wide, with either a continued slow recovery or a faster snap-back both quite possible.”