Final August net trailer orders came in at 14,000 units, up 48% from July, according to FTR’s numbers. While August trailer orders improved month-over-month, they were down 48% year-over-year. Order activity was moderately above expectations, as dry van orders and flatbeds rebounded from a weak July. Orders have totaled 250,000 units over the past twelve months. Backlogs fell another 9% and are now 27% lower than a year ago. Trailer build was up 2% for August on a per-day basis.

“Overall, it was not too bad for a month of August for the trailer industry,” said Don Ake, FTR’s vice president of commercial vehicles. “New orders were at the highest level in six months. This was mitigated by a high number of cancellations, as OEM’s continue to clean previous ‘placeholder orders’ out of the backlog. Production also stabilized some after dipping precipitously in July. The van segments continue to weaken at a moderate pace. OEMs are expecting a correction, but not a collapse. There is an average level of quote activity happening, so the market is maintaining some stability. Several of the vocational segments have very weak backlogs and need a boost of orders soon, or production will drop.”