The industry closed 2016 on a solid note, as December dry van orders were up 26% year-over-year, with reefer orders up almost 140% over 2015.
Despite that solid y/y performance, both new and net orders were down 5% from the previous month. Additionally, the impact of higher energy prices was evident in the vocational segments, as flats, dumps, and bulk tanks all posted solid m/m improvement.
December’s order pace was insufficient to offset weaker orders earlier in the year; net trailer orders for the full year were weaker than last year, according to the most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT).
“For the full year, industry net orders of just under 229k units were down 28% versus 2015,” said Frank Maly, Director–CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT. “Dry vans and reefers, both off 30% to 31% year-over-year, were the major factors in that total market performance, although net orders for every trailer category in our group of ten were down from 2015.”