Trailer Build/Order Gap Persists, Analysts Say

Analysts continue to see a sizable disparity between trailer manufacturing and trailer orders.

Net trailer orders for September closed at 12,200 units, versus the 16,700 trailers produced that month, according to ACT Research. Despite the 4,500-order gap, September’s figures paled in comparison to “August’s 11k-unit drop,” ACT Research’s Jennifer McNealy noted in a release.

She added that “trailer order activity, while improved from the last several months, remains tepid, despite anecdotal commentary that quoting seems to be increasing.” McNealy added that backlogs are also down “dramatically” compared to 2023.

The information came from ACT Research’s new State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report.

The addition of September’s net trailer orders closes third-quarter net order intake at 27,000 units, the release stated. For the year thus far, net order activity sits at 101,600 units.