Preliminary net trailer orders dropped about 3,700 units from January to February, a contraction of 17%, according to ACT Research. At 18,000 units, order intake was down about 14% compared to February 2024. Seasonal adjustment (SA) at this point in the annual order cycle lowers February tally to 17,000 units, and that’s about 12% below January’s seasonally adjusted intake. Final February results will be available later this month. This preliminary market estimate is typically within ±5% of the final order tally.
“A sequential drop in net orders was expected, as we move toward the weaker order months of the annual intake cycle, and from that perspective, February did not disappoint. It’s also no surprise that data are lower than the February 2024 intake, given the uncertainty currently plaguing the US commercial vehicle industry and the economy at large,” said Jennifer McNealy, Director CV Market Research & Publications at ACT Research.
She cautioned, “Despite the ambiguity that continues to buttress the trailer market pause we’ve seen for the last year, made worse by the constant policy shifting of the last few months, orders are expected to be placed but at a subdued level throughout 2025. That said, this is not a shift in ACT’s expectations, as weak trailer demand is the result of weak for-hire truck market fundamentals, low used equipment valuations, relatively full dealer inventories, and high interest rates impeding stronger activity in the near term.”
ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report provides a monthly review of the current US 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. It is accompanied by a database that gives historical information from 1996 to the present, as well as a ready-to-use graph packet, to allow organizations in the trailer production supply chain, and those following the investment value of trailers, trailer OEMs, and suppliers to better understand the market.