COLUMBUS, Ind. – August net trailer orders, at 7,700 units, were nearly 40% lower year-for-year, but 500 units above July’s intake bringing year-to-date August net order activity to 89.4k units, according to this month’s issue of ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report.
“Trailer cancellations moved higher again in August,” said Jennifer McNealy, director–CV Market Research and Publications at ACT Research. “The cancellation rate increased to 3.6% of the backlog, from July’s 3.0% rate. Build significantly outpaced orders again in August, by 11k units. As a result, backlogs shrank nearly 14% sequentially.”
U.S. trailer manufacturers and suppliers continue to navigate the choppy waters of weak demand, according to ACT.
“They say no news is good news, but in the case of the current US trailer environment, that’s hardly the case,” McNealy said. “While no news means conditions aren’t deteriorating, it also means no real improvement presently, despite hopes for the contrary amid otherwise generally positive economic news.”
ACT Research’s 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. It is accompanied by a database that gives historical information from 1996 to the present, as well as a ready-to-use graph packet, to allow organizations in the trailer production supply chain, and those following the investment value of trailers, trailer OEMs, and suppliers to better understand the market.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
