Trailer Orders Jump 12% In June

The final net trailer order numbers for the month of June have been published by FTR, showing a 12% increase from the previous month.

Net trailer orders totaled 18,900 units for the month, jumping 58% compared to June of last year. The June activity was above FTR’s expectations with most segments of the market exceeding their May totals.

“The trailer market had a fantastic month in June. Production was the highest since July 2015,” said Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles. “Orders did not fall all much from the respectable numbers posted in March and April.  Backlogs are dropping, but that’s due to the high build rates rather than lower orders.”

Trailer orders have totaled 261,000 units over the past 12 months. Production rose 5% over May, primarily in the dry and refrigerated van sector, reducing backlog by 6%.

“Medium and small fleets are ordering trailers as the spot freight market remains hot.  Large fleets are taking delivery on orders placed months ago, as the expected stronger freight growth starts to happen,” said Ake. “Replacement demand for dry vans continues and flatbed demand has begun to take off.   The trailer market continues to exceed expectations in 2017.”