ACT Research Co.’s preliminary estimate for October net trailer orders is 32,000 units, marking a 28% increase from September and a massive 50% improvement over last year. Final October data will be available later this month, but the preliminary estimate should be within plus-or-minus 3%  of the final number, according to ACT.

“The industry order season is off to a solid start, with a surge in dry van orders providing most of the momentum last month,” said Frank Maly, ACT’s director of CV transportation analysis and research. “At this point last year, the industry was in a bit of a holding pattern with pre-election jitters keeping some fleets sidelined. That helped set the stage for October’s solid 50% year-over-year net order comparison,” he added. The Federal Appeal Court ruling on GHG2 regulations, although occurring late in the month, likely alleviated some new year market uncertainty, and could have helped finalize some fleet investment decisions as the month closed, ACT noted.

Through October, the industry has booked more than 226,000 net orders. “Year-to-date net orders are up almost 45% versus last year. At October’s build rate, the current orderboard would take the industry through most of next year’s first quarter,” Maly said.