October preliminary net trailer orders of 16,700 units were down approximately 40% from September and off 70% from the peak order month last year, according to ACT Research. This preliminary market estimate should be within +/- 5% of the final order tally. ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report provides a monthly review of the current US 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’s obvious that market uncertainties are preventing OEMs from commencing the industry’s normal order season. Challenges of supply-chain bottlenecks, labor shortages, and material and component prices are forcing OEMs to proceed very cautiously,” said Frank Maly, director CV transportation analysis and research at ACT Research. He added, “Initial reports indicate that October build rates were similar to September. So OEMs, while able to maintain production levels and manage backlog horizons, continue to be unable to ramp efforts to meet the extremely strong and growing fleet demand for additional trailers.”