According to the recent issue of ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report, October net U.S. trailer orders of 47,860 units were 83% higher compared to September, up 57% on a seasonally-adjusted basis and 171% above last year’s October level.

“Discussions across the past month indicate trailer OEM business conditions, including 2023 demand, material/component supply chain, and labor, are on-par with September, although swinging toward the ‘better’ side of the pendulum,” Jennifer McNealy, director–cv market research & publications at ACT Research, said.

“Demand overall remains healthy, cancellations are low, although we expect some cancel-rebooking activity to occur in Q4, and October’s backlog-to-build ratio saw an uptick in tandem with the increase in orders. October orders were mixed, with some trailer categories up triple digits from September, others down double digits and a few virtually unchanged. That said, seasonal adjustment does diminish some of the sensational increases.” McNealy said. “This year’s backlogs are filled and build slot availability in 2023 varies widely by OEM but continues to open more fully, which helps explain customers’ ability to place orders at the pace exhibited the past two months.”