Research company FTR has reported that trailer net orders in the US have exceeded expectations for second consecutive month in November.
At 39,300 units, the order total for the month was up 19 per cent month over month, and one per cent above a year ago. Trailer orders have now totaled 332,000 for the past 12 months.
“Dry van orders for November were exceptional, up 44 per cent month over month and [making for] the best since December 2014,” commented Don Ake, FTR Vice President of Commercial Vehicles.
“Refrigerated vans, while lower than the record numbers experienced in October, remained robust for the third straight month.
“Dump trailer orders showed continued strength; and all other segments met expectations, resulting in mostly positive across the board order intake for the month. Trailer build was up four per cent (per day) versus October.”
Ake added, “The trailer market continues to show remarkable resilience entering 2016. This is the third highest order month ever and some segments aren’t even doing very well.
“It is particularly impressive, considering Class 8 demand is faltering and freight growth is slowing somewhat due to the manufacturing slump.
“Demand is still strong because the replacement cycle for dry vans remains very favorable. The recession and slow recovery delayed some replacement demand, and carriers are still modernizing their fleets.”
Ake also pointed out that fleets are being encouraged to place their entire 2016 requirement orders now, due to continuing OEM capacity constraints.