Trailer net orders in October, exceeding 33,000 units, were down 7% from September and 30% on a year-over-year basis. Nevertheless, according to the most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT), the solid order season continues for this segment of the commercial vehicle industry.

“The solid order season continued for U.S. trailers in October, although m/m and y/y comparisons were both in the red,” said Frank Maly, Director–CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT. “As we noted last month, there was little chance of solid y/y comparisons, given last year’s all-time record order volumes.” He continued, “The key is that orders were sufficiently strong to grow backlog, and indications are that more strength remains in the order pipeline.”

Maly added, “October’s strength was provided by an all-time monthly record for reefers, along with a jump in flatbed volume. This is the season when we would expect order volumes to generate backlog growth, and that occurred in five of the ten trailer categories in October.”

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.