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Dec 7, 2009 4:13 PM

Net orders for commercial trailers in October increased 80% from September and 124% from a depressed October 2008, according to ACT Research Co.

In the latest release of State of the Industry: US Trailers, ACT indicated that six of nine trailer types showed sequential gains in new orders, led by a 155% gain in dry van net orders. With strong net orders and only a slight increase in build, backlogs increased 2,500 units. However, backlog to build ratio stood at 3.9 months, below the level that can support increasing production rates.

“An issue that adds complexity to interpreting current order activity is that October is normally the beginning of a seasonally strong period for orders,” said Kenny Vieth, partner and senior analyst with ACT Research. “While the sequential increase was well beyond a normal seasonal uptick, the limited orders in backlog will still keep a lid on production in the near term.”