New and net trailer orders surged in November, strongly indicating that the trailer buying season has begun. Driven mostly by Dry Vans, November net orders climbed 71% month-over-month, according to the most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT). A drop in cancellations also helped boost last month’s sales.

“Dry vans were also nearly equivalent to year-ago levels,” said Frank Maly, Director–CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT. Speaking on the comparison to last year, Maly continued, “Even with that surge, total trailer orders for the month still trailed last November by 7ppt, and ytd net orders are down one-third from 2015 volume.”

ACT is the 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.