ACT Research has reported a lift in net trailer order results for the US market.
Net US trailer orders of 28,139 units, according to ACT Research, were a significant improvement (up 49 per cent) from July’s uptick and well above August 2019’s level (up 16 per cent).
Before accounting for cancellations, new orders of 29,000 units were up 46 per cent versus July and 96 per cent better year-over-year.
“Conversations in recent months have indicated a change in fleet perspective, frequently phrased as more requests for quotes, ongoing negotiations, or a simple statement that ‘the phone is ringing a lot more lately’,” said Frank Maly, Director–CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT Research.
“That shift started in late June, and we saw a minor gain in orders in July,” he said.
August Orders, said Maly, included large fleet demand with strong e-commerce support, which bodes well for dry vans and reefers but provides minimal benefit for vocational categories.
“With large fleets seeing better volumes and rates, they may be moving with a more bullish perspective than we perceive, and while trailer OEMs welcome the interest, they are wondering if the recent order strength has ‘legs’,” he said.
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 organisations in the trailer production supply chain, and those following the investment value of trailers and trailer OEMs and suppliers, to better understand the market.
In other news, trailer manufacturers, component suppliers and the trucking industry at large in the US are working overtime to ensure growth in 2021.