Net orders for trailers were the strongest in a year during the second quarter of 2009, according to information provided by ACT Research Co LLC.
The improved performance in the second three months of the year comes despite the fact that net orders in June were 23% below those of June 2008 according to the company’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report.
Much of the gain in net orders during the second quarter was a result of a strong April, when the monthly order rate reached its highest level in a year. However, new orders decelerated through the quarter, resulting in an 11% decline compared to the prior year.
“With freight volumes and trucking profits soft, demand for trailers has dropped significantly,” said Kenny Vieth, partner and senior analyst with ACT Research. “However, reefer van demand, which is generally about one-fifth of the dry van market, has surpassed dry van volumes in recent months and is offsetting some of the dry van weakness.”
For more information on ACT, visit http://www.actresearch.net/.