In a press release issued by Wabash National, Dick Giromini, President and Chief Executive Officer, offered commentary on the company’s fourth quarter and full year results on trailer shipments stating, “New trailer shipments of 13,600 for the fourth quarter met our previous guidance and reflects the continued strong demand environment. In addition, full year new trailer shipments totaling 47,600 were nearly double the level from 2010. This healthier demand environment, coupled with a strong backlog of approximately $587 million as of December 31, 2011, reaffirms our belief that we remain in the early stages of a trailer replacement cycle which we believe could be one of the strongest in history.”

Mr. Giromini also stated, “Furthermore, both ACT and FTR have recently updated their forecasts for 2012 industry volumes to 246,000 and 251,000 units, respectively, reflecting an approximate increase of 20% over 2011 levels. As we look to 2012, we expect to deliver considerable improvement in our financial and operational results through continued manufacturing optimization initiatives on the shop floor, improved pricing as trailer industry demand expands and continued diversification into higher margin opportunities.”

To read the full Wabash National press release, click here.