Trailer orders, inventories increase
Jun 23, 2006 10:54 AM
Orders for truck trailers were up
in May, but so were inventories, according to Bear Stearns and ACT Research.
Customers ordered 17,090 truck
trailers during the month, up 37% from May 2005 and a stronger year-over-year performance than the 18%
increase reported in April.
Bear Stearns expects a seasonal
downward trend in orders for the summer.
Order cancellations were, as Bear Stearns described them, “healthy” in May—at a rate of 5.3% for both total trailers and dry vans. Cancellations have been at historically low levels since May 2005, the company says. This has contributed to firm backlogs for trailers.
Dry van
inventories continue to tick up, the company reports. Dry van inventories were 7,668 in May (vs. 6,738 in
April), up 35% when compared with May 2005.
By contrast, inventories in April were 13% above year-earlier levels.
