ACT: 2023 orderboard ‘floodgates’ open, trailer orders ‘rush in’

September net US trailer orders of 26,086 units were 47% higher compared to last month, but 8% below the year-ago September level, according to this month’s issue of ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report.

“Discussions across the past month continue to indicate more OEMs opening 2023 build slots—some opening initial slots, others expanding into later in the year,” said Jennifer McNealy, director–CV Market Research & Publications at ACT Research. “OEMs’ fleet negotiations are now quickly moving to booked business.”

September is a “quarter-ending” month, McNealy noted, and keeping with historical patterns, the clearing of “red-tag” units buttressed strong build and factory shipment data this month.

“While manufacturers continue to wrestle with rolling supply-chain disruptions, as well as challenges on the labor front, tangible improvements are being made, as illustrated in the build data.” Regarding September orders, McNealy offered, “September orders were mixed, with some categories virtually unchanged from August, others down double digits, and a few up triple digits. The explanation: 2022 backlogs are filled and build slot availability in 2023 varies widely by OEM, limiting customers’ ability to place orders.”

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.