Trailer Orders Jump 56.9% During Best August in 20 Years
New trailer orders jumped 56.9% in August from a year earlier and rose to the highest total for that month in 20 years, ACT Research reported.
U.S. trailer manufacturers received 25,191 net orders during the month, compared with 16,052 in August 2013, ACT said.
August’s total also climbed 30.3% from the 19,331 orders placed in July.
ACT analyst Frank Maly said last month’s order intake was a “great” figure for any month, but it was “phenomenal” for August, when order activity is typically slow.
“Fleets are making money and capacity is tight,” he said. “They’ve got the need and the wherewithal to acquire equipment, and they know that the lead times continue to be long so they want to get in line.”
Given the industry’s high demand and large order backlog, fleets are moving forward with order commitments to ensure that production slots will be available, he said.
Year-to-date, buyers have ordered 200,186 trailers, a 45.6% jump from 137,493 in the first eight months of 2013.
