Preliminary net trailer orders in April decreased from March and were lower in year-over-year, comparisons, with 10,000 units (11,900 seasonally adjusted) projected to have been booked during the month, according to ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report. That’s 41% lower compared to the month before, and down 49% from the same month last year.
“Seasonal expectations called for orders to pull back in April, particularly given the near record-level order backlogs and supply-chain challenges being experienced by the industry,” said Jennifer McNealy, director, CV market research and publications at ACT Research. “Demand appears to be softening, albeit against strong comparisons.
Still, backlogs remain “robust,” McNealy noted.
“For the time being, the industry is still wrestling with lingering supply-chain challenges, although signs of improvement are seen monthly, and fleets needing trailers remain in queue for orders already placed, with backlogs for most trailer categories still near the top of their target ranges,” she said.
Specifically, ACT Research projects the trailer backlog should decrease by around 16,500 units to about 213,000 units when complete April data are released.
McNealy noted that with orders being preliminary and the build number a projection, there will be “some variability” in reported backlogs when final data are collected.
The State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report provides a monthly review of the current US trailer market statistics, as well as trailer OEM build plans and market indicators divided by all major trailer types, including backlogs, build, inventory, new orders, cancellations, net orders, and factory shipments.