U.S. Trailer Orders Surge in June, Bucking Recent Industry Trends

Trailer net orders in June, at nearly 27,900 units, jumped more than 73% versus May, in sharp contrast to recent economic news in the trucking and transportation industries, which has shown a decided pause recently.

Although not the strongest June on record (that was the 32K volume of June 1994), the June 2015 order surge is exceptionally early, with strength coming from dry vans and reefers,” said Frank Maly, Director–CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT, which issued the report.

“The lack of cancellations, along with early 2016 commitments, indicates strong fleet confidence in the short to medium term outlook,” Maly continued.

He noted that ACT Research’s outlook continues to be positive, although vocational trailers continue to endure energy sector headwinds. He also stated, “While there has been some softening in freight rates, lower fuel costs have helped offset those shifts and fleets’ bottom lines continue to be firm.”

Maly summarized, “Our view that 2015 will be the best trailer market since the late 1990s remains unchanged.”

Category: Cab, Trailer & Body New, General Update