Preliminary data from trucking data aggregator ACT Research shows net trailer orders continued to soar in November, with 39,000 orders for trailers during the month but down 17% from October’s “explosion” in activity, ACT said in a Dec. 15 release.
“We expected net orders to slow in November, after October’s net order explosion,” Jennifer McNealy, director of commercial vehicle market research and publications for ACT Research, said in a release.
See also: Trailer orders surge in October
McNealy added that November orders were down 17% from October’s 48,000-unit order haul but were up for the month 22% compared to November 2021. “Nearly as soon as a build slot is available, there is a fleet ready to fill it with an order,” she added. “Demand remains strong. With backlog-to-build ratios near the 7.5-month mark, on average, fleets needing trailers are staying the course.”
Final November results from ACT will be available later this month. The preliminary data is a market estimate and should be within 5% plus or minus of the final order tally, the release said.
About build and backlog, McNealy said, “Using preliminary November orders and the corresponding OEM build plans from the November State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report (with October data) for guidance, the trailer backlog should increase by around 13,500 units when complete November data are released. That said, with orders being preliminary and the build number projections, there will be some variability in reported backlogs when final data are collected.”
The ACT State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report provides a monthly review of the current U.S. 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 to allow organizations in the trailer supply chain and those following the investment value of trailers, trailer OEMs, and suppliers to understand the market.
