September net trailer orders, at 12,200 units, closed Q3’s net order intake at 27,000 units. This brings ytd net order activity to 101.6k units, according to this month’s issue of ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report.

“Build significantly outpaced orders again in September, but this time by only 4,500 units compared to August’s 11k-unit drop; backlogs contracted 7% sequentially,” said Jennifer McNealy, Director–CV Market Research & Publications at ACT Research. “While down m/m, the backlog was dramatically lower (-55%) against 2023’s firmer backdrop.”

McNealy added, “Trailer order activity, while improved from the last several months, remains tepid, despite anecdotal commentary that quoting seems to be increasing.” She concluded, “In the present environment, the challenge is that while quotation activity is happening, order placement is slow and timing remains one of next year’s biggest ‘wildcards.’ In the meantime, the data continue to tell the story of macro-facing industry segments being particularly hard hit, with OEMs traversing a much more competitive landscape than the past several years.”