Trailer net orders in February, at 20,700 units, were down nearly 31% from January and off 30% year-over-year, according to the most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT).
“The story hasn’t changed much since last month,” said Frank Maly, Director–CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT. “Large fleets came to market early, resulting in a front–loaded order season. The decline in net orders sequentially and year-over-year is due to the tough comp resulting from that early action, not a sign of weakness in the current market.”
Maly added that backlogs remain high and the order board appears to have started a normal seasonal decline in response to the waning order season.
“Solid freight volumes combined with fleets adding capacity as well as replacing tired equipment are major positives, “he added.