ACT Research reported preliminary information for October indicates the U.S. trailer industry booked 54,200 net orders for the month, up 6 percent from September and more than 68 percent better than the same month last year. Before accounting for cancellations, new orders crossed the 56,000 mark. Both new and net orders ranked as the third-best in industry history. Final volume will be available later this month.

“September’s rank as third-best month in industry history was short-lived, as October activity now takes that title. Fleet commitments over the past two months have now pushed industry backlog to the highest level since June of last year. Increases in both freight volumes and rates, along with capacity challenges, have influenced fleets to aggressively enter the market,” said Frank Maly, Director CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT Research.

“Current production rates would result in industry backlogs extending into next July. Expect OEMs to adjust build rates upward to take advantage of this positive shift in fleet investment,” he added.

ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report provides a monthly review of the current U.S. 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.