Preliminary reports show net trailer orders continued to soar in November, with 39,000 units projected to have been booked during the month. Final November results were made available in December. This preliminary market estimate should be within +/-5% of the final order tally.

“We expected net orders to slow in November, after October’s net order explosion. Despite November’s strong order intake, they fell 17% (-27% SA m/m) from October’s 48,000-unit order haul. While down from October, orders were up 22% compared to the same month last year,” said Jennifer McNealy, director CV market research and publications, ACT Research. She added, “Nearly as soon as a build slot is available, there is a fleet ready to fill it with an order.” McNealy concluded, “Demand remains strong. With backlog-to-build ratios near the 7.5-month mark, on average, fleets needing trailers are staying the course.”

When asked about build and backlog, she commented, “Using preliminary November orders and the corresponding OEM build plans from the November State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report (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 numbers projections, there will be some variability in reported backlogs when final data are collected.”