Net orders of commercial truck trailers zoomed up to 21,314 units in November – a remarkable 23% increase over October’s tally—marking the strongest month in over two years for new trailer activity, according to data compiled by ACT Research Co.
Compared to the same month in 2009, net trailer orders in November were up a whopping 215%, pointed out Kenny Vieth, ACT president & senior analyst.
“An appropriate description of 2010 trailer net orders would be ‘in like a lamb, out like a lion,’” he added. “With rising trucker profits and deferred capital investment, the stage is set for healthy trailer demand in 2011. History shows that when the industry cycles, it is typically a two- to three- year process.”
ACT’s data on longer-term order trending backs up that robust outlook. Over the last three months, net orders for the dry van segment were up an eye-popping 217% compared to the same three months in 2009. On a year-to-date basis, all eight trailer types are up from ‘09, although grain trailers and flatbed orders are up only modestly, Vieth noted.
All good news points to is trailer sales again making significant strides. By comparison, trailer sales as a whole dropped to 79,432 units in 2009, according to ACT. That was a nearly 50% decline from 144,377 units in 2008 and an over 75% drop from the 277,398 units sold in 2006.
