October net US trailer orders of 54,691 units posted another sequential improvement, up nearly 7% from September’s rise and well above October 2019’s level (up 70%), according to industry analyst ACT Research.
Before accounting for cancellations, new orders of 57,000 units were up 9% vs. September and 52% better year-over-year, according to this month’s issue of ACT’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailer Report.
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.
“September net orders were the third best in industry history, a short-term rank quickly displaced by October’s volume of almost 54,700 net orders,” said Frank Maly, ACT’s director of commercial vehicle transportation analysis and research. “The majority of the total uptick was driven by the highest dry van net order month in industry history, and the majority of the surge in dry van orders was driven by large fleets.
“Demand appears to cross a wide spectrum of customers, including for-hire and private fleets, likely buttressed by the growth in e-commerce and some dealer stocking commitments for next year. This is leading to timely production slots rapidly being filled, which generates a demand ‘feedback’ loop, as other fleets, seeing availability lengthen, are also jumping into the market.”