Given that trailer orders in May have fallen below April volumes in ten of the past 12 years, it wasn’t surprising that there was a decline this May, according to ACT Research.
That they fell as far as they did – down 23% month over month on a seasonally adjusted basis – is a reflection of the current soft patch in commercial vehicle demand. This update on industry performance was reported in the latest State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT).
“Production rose 5% month over month, although on a per-day basis, build was virtually unchanged from April,” said Frank Maly, Director-CV Transportation with ACT Research. “The combination of soft orders and rising production caused industry backlogs to fall, dropping 5% from April to 111,953 units in May. The backlog typically falls this time of year, so May’s results were expected. While down from April, May’s backlog remains at a healthy level.”