Preliminary reports from trailer OEMs indicate that 14,400 new trailer orders were booked in April, which was 52% lower than March but a staggering 3,600% above the COVID-19-impacted volume for the same month last year, according to ACT Research.

Final April volume will be available later this month. This preliminary market estimate should be within 5% of the final order tally.

“Given the dramatic market impact of COVID shutdowns that occurred at this point last year, year-over-year comparisons provide minimal insight. Year-to-date net order volume of just over 102K trailers, up 164% versus last year, gives us a better metric that indicates fleet equipment demand remains strong,” Frank Maly, director of CV transportation analysis and research at ACT Research, said. “Strong fleet commitments, pushing the average backlog for dry vans and reefers into Q2/22 at recent production rates, are generating headwinds to further order placement. Perhaps that should be better phrased as ‘further order acceptance,’ since some OEMs have indicated that they are not accepting orders until longer-term component and materials supplies and pricing can be determined. There also appears to have been a bit of an upturn in cancellations during April. Some revisiting of pricing, the result of component and material cost pressures, along with some reassessment by fleets regarding projected delivery dates and their actual equipment needs, were likely both contributors to those adjustments. Finally, OEMs continue to struggle to increase production rates, with components, materials and staffing still challenging their efforts.”