After suffering a weak March, net trailer orders jumped 29% month over month in April, stronger than predicted by seasonality. However, year to date, net orders lag by 10% compared to 2012. This update on industry performance was reported in the latest State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT).

“The order activity seen in April is normally expected in March; the commitment delay is an indication of the overarching caution regarding investment commitments by the fleets,” said Frank Maly, Director-CV Transportation with ACT Research. “Concerns over a sluggish economy, lackluster fleet profitability, and credit availability have been the major factors impacting trailer order timing the past few months. Additionally, the pullback in energy investment has specifically impeded the specialty trailer segment.”

ACT is the worldwide leading publisher of new and used commercial vehicle (CV) industry data, market analysis and forecasting services for the North American market, as well as the U.S. tractor-trailer market and the China CV market. ACT’s CV services are used by all major North American truck and trailer manufacturers and their suppliers, as well as the banking and investment community in North America, Europe and China.