May net U.S. trailer orders of 3,107 units were a significant improvement from April, but net orders remain below May 2019’s level, down 71%, ACT Research reports.
Before accounting for cancellations, new orders of 7.4k units were up 29% versus April, according to ACT.
“Although up from April’s record low, May’s net orders will still rank as the second weakest in industry history,” said Frank Maly, director of CV transportation analysis and research at ACT Research. “There is little incentive for fleets to invest in new equipment right now.”
Maly continued, “While there has been a general re-opening of the US economy and some post-quarantine consumer-generated surges have been reported, caution continues to be the watchword. Significant apprehension is being expressed about small-to-medium fleets, and the concern is that the PPP lifelines many may have grasped will run out before a post-lockdown economy generates freight at sufficient volumes and profitable rates, which will have serious implications for both trailer OEMs and dealers.”
Additionally, the report noted that ACT Research has created an easily accessible webpage to track noteworthy high frequency macroeconomic and transportation-specific market indicators, which can be found here.