December net trailer orders, at 24,300 units, were up 17% from November, but about 3% below the level accepted in December 2023, according to this month’s issue of ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report.
“This brings full-year 2024 activity to 163.5k units, competing against a better 2023 order environment (236k) and fuller backlogs,” Jennifer McNealy, director – CV market research and publications at ACT Research, said. “That said, December’s net orders of -3% are an improvement when compared to Q4’s -24% or the full-year drop of 31%, meaning the worst of the downturn is clearly in the rearview mirror, and while not ‘good,’ indicated movement toward ‘better.’”
Regarding backlog and build, McNealy said, “For the second time in nearly a year, order intake outpaced build, and by about 11,500 units. As a result, backlogs expanded almost 16% sequentially. With larger orders and lower build, and fewer build days in December, the industry backlog-to-build ratio rose to 5.2 months. In short, 2024 was a challenging year for the U.S. trailer market, and OEMs still see challenges in the offing as the calendar flips to 2025.”
