COLUMBUS, Ind. — Preliminary net trailer orders saw very little change from March to April.
At 13,700 units, orders were higher compared to last April, up 21% year over year, according to ACT Research.
Seasonal adjustment boosts April’s tally to 17,300 units.
Final April results will be available later this month. This preliminary market estimate should be within ±5% of the final order tally, ACT reports.
“Against year-ago data, with pent-up demand beginning to wane and supply-chain congestion, for the most part, cleared, order activity continues to meet expectations,” said Jennifer McNealy, director of commercial vehicle market research and publications at ACT Research.
Despite the positive year-over-year comparison, net orders remain challenged by a backdrop of weak for-hire trucker profitability, albeit with some green shoots of improvement beginning to show, McNealy noted.
“Anecdotal commentary from trailer manufacturers and suppliers through the past several months have indicated this slowing, as they have shared that orders are coming, but at a more tepid pace when compared to the last few years,” she said.
Fleets are due to starting to make more money later this year, which will increasing their equipment buying abilities, according to ACT.
But “the impact likely will be muted for the trailer industry, as we continue to expect their willingness to spend those available dollars will lean toward the purchase of new power units ahead of the EPA’s implementation of 2027 regulations, which we believe has already begun,” McNealy shared.
McNealy said that additional anecdotal information that ACT has gotten wind of from those on the front lines of the trailer industry is that the pause button is expected to remain pressed during this year of transition.
“The industry’s largest segments remain under pressure, cancellations are anticipated to continue their oscillation into and out of elevated territory as dealers and fleets recalibrate their inventory and immediate needs, and external forces like the U.S. and Mexican presidential elections and interest rates remain on the closely watched list,” McNealy concluded.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
