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April 25, 2002 11:11 AM, EDT

LAS VEGAS — Customer orders for big trucks, now undergoing a dramatic rebound, are likely to plummet in the fall and remain flat well into 2003 once the current rush has spent itself, truck manufacturers told their dealers at a national meeting last week.

Orders for future deliveries of Class 8 tractors nearly doubled in the first three months of 2002 and rose 170% in March, compared with the same periods a year ago, according to ACT Research Co.

But the buying surge will not last and dealers should search for sources of revenue other than new-truck sales, the truck makers said at the American Truck Dealers annual meeting.

For the full story, see the April 22 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

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