U.S. commercial trailer backlogs ended July at 93,600 units, up 97% on a year-over-year basis, according to the latest State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT).
Net orders declined 2% in July from June levels, marking the fourth consecutive month. When combined with solid trailer production volume during July, the decline in net orders resulted in industry backlogs slipping 4% month-over-month.
“Given the industry’s normal seasonal business patterns, the pace of orders is expected to slow further in the third quarter. Current activity is tracking to those expectations,” said Frank Maly, Director CV Transportation Analysis and Research with ACT. “Order volume should begin to build again during fall and winter. Significantly, cancellations continue to be low. That denotes a solid backlog, and that’s a positive indicator for the industry through the rest of 2011 and into 2012.”