1. Hyundai Translead
Hyundai Translead of San Diego, California, produced 56,088 units in 2024 (including 2,945 chassis and 818 dollies), down 32%. (In the print edition, TBB incorrectly reported chassis and dolly totals from the previous year. The accurate 2024 figures are here. We regret the error.)
Trailers are built at the company’s plants in Mexico.
“Despite decreased trailer demand and market adjustments in 2024, Hyundai Translead successfully navigated the year while celebrating our 35th anniversary and continuing to support customer needs,” CEO Sean Kenney said. “While there are still challenges and uncertainties for 2025, we remain committed to our customers with emphasis on product expansion and further investments in customer experience.”
2. Great Dane
Great Dane built approximately 36,000 trailers in 2023, down 12% from the previous year. The company also built over 1,500 truck bodies. Great Dane commemorates its 125th anniversary in 2025.
“2024 was a tough year for our customers as they dealt with a difficult rate environment as truck tonnage and manufacturing data showed a weak environment. As we enter 2025 we continue to see fairly weak indicators but are glad to see the manufacturing index move to positive territory to start the year,” Chris Hammond, EVP of sales for Great Dane, said. “I suspect the industry will drag along for a bit while the new administration gets their agenda in place. As more certainty returns to the markets, I think we’ll see expansion yet this year.
“The industry still needs to work through the trailers that are in the systems. As well, we will look for the aftermarket to help tell us when fleets are putting more units on the road as they have held on to cash and it shows up in the aftermarket data.”
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and with additional corporate offices in Savannah, Georgia, Great Dane has manufacturing plants strategically located throughout the United States.
3. Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co.
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. produced a total of 33,702 trailers in 2024, down 31% from 2023. Of those, 20,166 were refrigerated trailers, 11,679 were dry van trailers, and 1,277 were flatbed trailers, reported Utility President and COO Steve Bennett.
Utility has six trailer manufacturing facilities. Multi-temp refrigerated trailers are built in Atkins, Virginia; Clearfield, Utah, and Eagle Pass, Texas/Piedras Negras, Mexico. Dry vans are manufactured at the Glade Springs, Virginia, and Paragould, Arkansas, plants. Straight deck and drop deck flatbeds are built in the Enterprise, Alabama, plant.
4. Wabash
Wabash shipped 32,100 new trailers in 2024, a 27% decrease compared to the year before.
Wabash also shipped 14,255 truck bodies, not counted in the rankings.
A “more diversified portfolio” helped Wabash manage the cyclical downturn in the dry van market, President and Chief Executive Officer Brent Yeagy said in a conference call with investment analysts. (See Page 30 for complete coverage.)
Yeagy cited rising parts and services revenue and a series of new joint ventures and partnerships put together in 2024 as forming the “foundation for scalable growth” going forward.
Headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, Wabash designs, manufactures, and services a diverse range of products, including: dry freight and refrigerated trailers, flatbed trailers, tank trailers, dry and refrigerated truck bodies, structural composite panels and products, trailer aerodynamic solutions, and specialty food grade processing equipment.
5. Stoughton Trailers
Stoughton Trailers produced a total of 15,000 units, a combination of dry vans, refrigerated vans, grain trailers, dollies, and intermodal container chassis in 2024.
The decline in total output was a “direct result of the free-falling market demand” for chassis over the last two years, the company reported.
To adjust for the changing market, Stoughton “right sized” dry van production across its facilities. On a positive note, the company reported an increased market share for dry van net orders for the second consecutive year.
Regarding refrigerated trailers, Stoughton’s continued investments fueled a healthy increase in its production rate and market share.
“Last year, we significantly increased our component fabrication capacity by installing even more robotic and autonomous equipment. Our investments in automation will increase our ramp speed as the market recovers,” said President and CEO Bob Wahlin. “We believe that 2025 will yield a much higher production output based on the large increase in quote activity and orders received in the last 90 days.”
6. Vanguard National Trailer Corp.
Vanguard National Trailer Corp. produced 14,017 trailers in 2024, a 35% decrease from 2023.
Vanguard, started in Monon, Indiana in 2003, has grown to be a premier manufacturer of dry and refrigerated trailers in North America.
7. EnTrans
EnTrans produced 7,348 trailer units, reflecting about a 15% reduction from 2023, reported Jake Radish, SVP and CCO, Engineered Transportation International.
The decline was primarily driven by shifts in market demand and overall reductions in certain sectors.
“Despite these headwinds, we remained committed to operational efficiency, product quality, and strengthening key customer relationships while continuing to diversify our offerings,” Radish said. “Looking ahead to 2025, we anticipate a more stable market with renewed opportunities in specialized transport segments. Our focus remains on innovation, including lightweight designs, sustainability initiatives, and advanced technology integration to better serve our customers.”
The company is comprised of Heil Trailer, Polar Tank Trailer, JARCO, and Kalyn Siebert.
8. Manac Inc.
Manac Inc. of Saint-Georges, Quebec, built 5,750 trailers in 2024, down 28% from 2023.
“As most industry participant, we saw a steep decrease in the van and flatbed segments, with backlogs decreasing during the year. We still have expectations that 2025 will have a stronger second half, but the ever changing tariff landscape in the US puts this in doubt.”
Founded in 1966, Manac offers a wide range of vans, flatbeds, dumps, belt trailers, lowbeds, chip and logging trailers, as well as heavy-duty chassis for oil, gas and mining industries.
9. MAC Trailer Enterprises Inc.
MAC Trailer Enterprises Inc. built 5,640 trailers in 2024.
“We started to taper off, probably mid-August 2024 and up to that point backlog was still pretty good,” said Bill McKenzie, president of sales at MAC Trailer. “The signs were there—we saw it. And then we had the election on top of that. And once that got sorted out, things started to really turn. It looks like there’s light at the end of the tunnel going forward.”
Regarding tariffs, MAC relies on U.S.-based suppliers, McKenzie noted, but he can’t be sure the vendors’ supply chains won’t be impacted. “Everybody’s concerned right now,” he said.
10. Fruehauf North America
Fruehauf North America produced 5,150 units in 2024, a 27% decrease from 2023.
“From Fruehauf’s perspective, the 2025 dry van market offers strong long-term potential despite near-term challenges,” said Fruehauf Inc. President Tom Wiseman. “While production declined in 2024, increasing backlogs and an expected recovery in the second half of 2025 signal improving conditions. Fruehauf is well-positioned to meet growing fleet replacement demand as freight activity strengthens.
“However, the recently announced tariffs introduce some uncertainty, with potential cost increases and supply chain disruptions that could pressure margins. We remain focused on operational efficiency, strategic sourcing, and working closely with our partners to mitigate these impacts and continue delivering value to our customers.”
11. XPO
XPO in Searcy, Ark., delivered 4,900 units in 2024, a 26% decrease from the year before.
This includes equipment ranging from 28’, 48’, 53’ trailers, dollies and straight trucks., according to Paul Reed, manufacturing senior director.
12. Timpte Inc.
Timpte Inc. in David City, Nebraska, built 4,700 hopper trailers for hauling grain and other bulk materials in 2024, a decrease of 7% from 2023.
“In terms of our semi-trailer business, we’re certainly predicting the market to be down in 2025,” President and CEO Tim Carpenter said. “We’ve seen in 2024 that the overall Polk registration certainly came down quite a bit. And we think 2025 is going to end up somewhere for us in the 4000-unit range.”
Timpte also has expanded its product lines and production in lighter-duty equipment. Construction is almost complete on a new 200,000 sq. ft. facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, to support new product initiatives and the aftermarket business.
“We’ve got a couple of new models that we’re going to launch here in the next 12 to 18 months that’ll kind of finish out where we want to be from a product portfolio standpoint,” Carpenter said. “Overall, it’s going really well.”
13. Fontaine Trailer Co.
Fontaine Trailer Co. manufactured 3,866 trailers in 2024, the Alabama-based platform specialist reported.
Fontaine Trailer President Alan Briley likened the 2024 downturn to the 2016 and 2020 cycles, characterizing the year as “a significant correction” and a “natural softening” for the flatbed market during a manufacturing lull.
“There was a decent amount of inventory on the ground that needed to be burned through—not just for Fontaine but, for the industry as a whole,” Briley said. “We contraction actually start mid-2023 but it didn’t show itself until 2024 because we had such a backlog. This was really 20- or 22-month cycle correction, and we’re hopefully nearing the end.”
Indeed, Briley reported an upswing in quote activity “that we’ve not seen in over two years,” following the business uncertainty ahead of the November elections in the U.S.
And while the Trump administration’s tariff strategy had yet to slow those orders, the timing of the steel and aluminum tariffs announced Feb. 10 “couldn’t be worse.”
“I’m not ready to say that it’s going to derail the momentum, but it is certainly going to cause the cost of equipment to go up—and that’s coming from a company that really doesn’t buy anything out of Mexico or Canada,” Briley said. “In similar situations, with tires and other things that come from outside the country and get tariffs, the domestic suppliers are going to raise prices to match.”
While the post-pandemic supply chain challenges eased in 2024, Briley suggested problems could reemerge with renewed demand.
“For most of our vendors, probably most of our competitors, and for Fontaine as well, our biggest challenge is labor, and nobody’s really addressed it,” he said. “I don’t expect it to be as easy to get components—and therefore to build trailers—as it has been over the last year and a half.”
Finally, changes in tax law are impacting trailer dealers. With the cost of capital already high, being taxed on floor plan inventory will be a challenge for the industry, he suggested.
“Our largest dealers have been very averse to placing large stock orders, and that’s very different than what we’ve seen in previous corrections,” Briley said.
Founded in 1945, Fontaine Trailer is a Marmon | Berkshire Hathaway company.
14. Reitnouer Inc.
Reitnouer Inc. in Birdsboro, Pa., built 3,846 trailers in 2024, an 11% decrease from 2023.
A stable supply chain in 2024 put the company on pace to match the previous year’s production total—but a slowdown for November and December resulted in reduced output, Bud Reitnouer, company president, reported.
“The election always has an impact on your business [in the] short term,” Reitnouer said. “But this one was really big, because in people’s minds, for the business owners, who won was going to make a difference on what they were going to do for this year. So the orders are just starting to come in. The industry overall should be slightly better because of the pro-business policies. We expect a good year, not a great year, going forward.”
15. Strick Trailers/Cheetah Chassis
Strick Trailers/Cheetah Chassis built 2,250 trailers in 2024, a 60% decrease from the year before.
This includes 1,400 chassis, 1,100 dry freight vans, and 50 logging and flatbed trailers. The company also built 300 dollies and 125 truck bodies, not included in the trailer total.
“For dry vans, we saw demand decrease in 2024, especially as the year progressed. We continue to focus on diversifying the product mix at our Monroe facility and increased production of both truck bodies and dollies in 2024,” said Ben Katz, VP of sales. “We are expecting 2025 to be a challenging year in regards to dry van sales industry-wide. Since we are relatively small, we are hoping to be able to keep our production relatively stable in a down market.
“For chassis, we found that 2024 was a challenging year in regards to sales, which was not unexpected given the boom in chassis demand which lasted into 2023. We expect our chassis production for 2025 to be about where it was in 2024 and are hoping to see demand continue to increase as the year progresses.”
The Strick Group of Companies is made up of Cheetah Chassis Corp, Evans Trailers and Strick Trailers.
16. Di-Mond Trailers
Di-Mond Trailers, based in Stoney Creek, Ontario, built 2,087 trailers in 2024, down 25% from its record year in 2023.
“Due to challenging economic and industry conditions in 2024, Di-mond Trailers was unfortunately not immune to the adverse impacts,” GM Frank Piccolo said. “While this represents a significant decrease, we remain focused on adapting to market conditions and identifying opportunities to support future growth.”
17. East Trailers LLC
East Trailers LLC of Randolph, Ohio, produced 2,077 trailers in 2024 between their dump, flatbed, and refuse product lines, a decline of 24%, Chris Cooler, VP of sales and marketing, reported. Formerly known as East Manufacturing LLC, the company rebranded in 2024.
“East navigated the trying market conditions of 2024, including uncertainties surrounding the Presidential election cycle with both poise and strategic foresight,” Cooler explained. “We did appreciate a nice bump in orders post-election and a continued increase in order activity since.
“Looking forward to 2025, we are optimistic about the trajectory of our growth. We are actively refining our product portfolio, expanding our reach and optimizing our marketing strategies to capture a broader segment of the market. Specifically, we are placing particular emphasis on the latter half of the year as a critical window for accelerating expansion.
“Our forward-looking strategies include scaling production capabilities, enhancing customer support infrastructure and driving product innovation to meet the evolving demands of an ever-changing marketplace,” Cooler said.
18. Pitts Trailers-Dorsey Intermodal
Pitts Trailers-Dorsey Intermodal built 2,055 trailers and chassis in 2024, a 26% decline from the previous year.
“The chassis market was probably off 80%, so we took a big hit on the quantity there—but we were pretty successful in flexing our folks over into our low bed production, in particular,” President JP Pierson said. “We were actually up, on average, across the different product lines of about 30% on low boy production.”
As to 2025 and tariffs, the company buys its steel and aluminum domestically and so doesn’t have direct exposure there. However, as manufacturers shift to U.S. suppliers, those prices will rise with demand, Pierson noted.
“I think it’s a little early to tell, but there’s a lot of optimism in the market,” he said. “There certainly was a tremendous amount after November, and I think there still is some.
“We’re budgeting for a pretty sizable gross revenue increase this year. So we’re optimistic, specifically centered around construction.”
19. Dorsey Trailer LLC
Dorsey Trailer LLC, of Elba, Alabama, built 1,905 flatbeds (steel, combo, and all-aluminum), lowboys, and chip trailers in 2024, which was a 43% decline compared to 2023. Dorsey President Trey Gary noted that maintaining manufacturing efficiencies at lower production levels was the big challenge in 2024.
“For 2025 the obstacle at the moment is trying to maintain efficiencies and increase production,” Gary said. “We’re seeing a good increase [in orders] at the moment, so how do you ramp it back up as quickly as possible, and as efficiently as well?
“Of course, everybody’s going to be nervous on the tariff piece, the shock of pricing. We’ll have to go back into the market and go to customers with price increases. I hope we don’t have to, but that’s something that’s definitely out there, and you don’t need to shy away or hide from it.”
20. Trail King Industries
Trail King Industries in Mitchell, S.D., built 1,800 truck trailers in 2024, breaking even from the year before. They also built 650 light-duty trailers with axles of less than 10,000-lb capacity, reported CFO Gene Astolfi.
“Stability in the supply chain was evident in 2024,” Astolfi said. “It’s still a struggle to get that skilled workforce that we need. The biggest challenge in 2024 was not having enough workforce to support our customers’ needs.”
21. Premier Trailer Manufacturing Inc.
Premier Trailer Manufacturing Inc., a family-run operation based in Visalia, California, built 1,698 trailers in 2024, a 63% increase from the year before.
“2024 saw Premier Trailer Manufacturing maintain its industry-leading position in the bottom dump, straight hopper, harvest trailer category with a production output of 1,112 units to support the nut and grain industries,” general manager Michael McGinn reported. “In addition, Premier built 348 units of 24’ and 25’ produce flatbeds. Also in 2024, Premier launched new production units into the intermodal chassis segment, building 238 units comprised of 40’ and 53’ container chassis. Proudly, in 2024, Premier Trailer manufactured a total of 1,698 high-quality units as right here in the USA.
“In addition to the new trailer units manufactured in 2024, Premier expanded its involvement within the intermodal segment,” he continued. “We have found that our extensive fabrication and manufacturing experience has allowed us to provide chassis refurbishment services to the industry’s major chassis leasing companies. In 2024, we fully refurbished 392 units consisting of 40’ chassis, 40’/45’ slider chassis, and 20’ slider chassis over a six-month period.
“As we begin 2025, Premier Trailer Manufacturing, Inc. is on pace to continue our ongoing growth trajectory with our new trailer builds, but also significantly increase our refurbishment capabilities to meet current demands,” McGinn concluded.
22. Felling Trailers Inc.
Felling Trailers Inc. of Sauk Centre, Minn., built 1,533 trailers with a 10K or larger axle in 2024, a 13% increase over the previous year, Nathan Uphus, director of sales, reported. Felling also built 2,820 light-duty trailers.
“In 2024 we experienced a shift in product demand from the previous year’s orders,” Uphus said. “We saw orders for larger product increase, and a decline in light-duty units. In addition to our powder coat paint facility expansion, we’ve benefited from efficiency gains due to plant layout improvements. All of which have helped us to lower our lead-times.
“We’re seeing a strong start to 2025 orders and are continuing to hear a lot of industry optimism.”
23. Tremcar Inc.
Tremcar Inc. built 1,102 tank trailers and 198 tank truck mounts in 2024, with total Tremcar tanks of 1,300, down slightly at 1% from the year before, Melanie Dufresne, director of marketing and communications, reported.
The Quebec-based company expects 2025 to be “pretty good,” Dufresne suggested, and she noted increased production capacity with facilities on both sides of the border. Uncertainty about tariffs, however, is a concern about the impact of potential tariffs.
“We have plants in the U.S. We have plants in Canada. We import and export on both sides,” Dufresne said. “So trying to figure out a game plan right now is pretty complicated, just because we don’t know where we’re headed. If we need to step up production in one plant or another, we’ll adjust. But we just don’t know right now.”
24. Extreme Trailers LLC
Extreme Trailers LLC, in Dover, Ohio, built 868 flatbeds and 303 step decks for a total of 1,171 aluminum trailers in 2024, down 9% from 2023.
“2024 was obviously a challenging year, with all the things that we faced in the market like input costs being high and those type of things,” Les Smith, president and CEO, said. “We’re pretty fortunate to win enough orders to maintain pretty close to status quo on production. We believe the fleets are starting to understand how important tare weight is, and how it helps them in their endeavors.”
Looking at 2025, Smith expects margins to rebound with lower inflation. Production-wise, Extreme is already booked into May, he added.
25. Western Trailer Co.
Western Trailer Co. in Boise, Idaho, built 1,166 trailers in 2024, an increase of 12%, as various key ag markets improved, reported Todd Swanstrom, the company’s director of engineering.
“We had a pretty good year—things seem to come together pretty well,” Swanstrom said. “Our labor force stabilized or solidified, and lead times improved with materials availability. We had great planning and manufacturing leadership, and it just came together.”
26. Kentucky Trailer
Kentucky Trailer of Louisville, Ky., built 763 trailers in 2024, a decrease of 23%. The company also built 856 truck bodies.
“2024 was certainly a challenging year, but the bright spot for us was on the truck body side,” David Smith, strategic account manager, said. “We are leveraging trailer plant to increase truck body production. We see this trend continuing in 2025.”
