Trailer Orders Down in February, but Still Up From Last Year

February trailer orders are expected to trail January’s excellent numbers but still exceed last year’s numbers, according to the preliminary estimates from ACT Research.

Net trailer orders in the U.S. for last month are expected to hit 26,400 units, falling around 20% from January but still up 24% from February 2016. Comparisons between this year and last year could prove tough because of fleets waiting to make investment decisions post-election.

“The January to February decline in net orders, roughly a 20% slide, is much more in line with expectations for the December to January timeframe,” said Frank Maly, ACT’s director of commercial vehicle transportation analysis and research. “The delay in the overall order season has the opposite impact on year-over-year comps.”

Order cancellations are expected to continue at a tolerable level, despite hitting the highest rate posted since October.

“Additionally, it appears that reefer backlogs held steady last month, while both the dry van and total industry orderboards posted their fourth straight monthly gain,” said Maly.