July trailer orders fail to meet expectations

Net trailer orders for July have come in below expectations, said ACT Research. According to ACT’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report, July’s orders came in at 12,739 units, down 17% month over month.

“July net orders at a seasonally adjusted annual rate were a disappointing 201,000 units,” said Frank Maly, director-CV Transportation with ACT Research. “As we noted last month, production levels continue at rates well above new order intake. While the manufacturers did adjust their build rates in July, without some additional order support, further modification could be needed to keep the backlog to build ratio at an acceptable level.

Maly noted that order cancellations continue to be on the low side, which indicates that the order numbers are for trailers are “truly needed” by the industry.