According to this quarter’s issue of ACT Research’s Trailer Components & Raw Materials Forecast, supply chain concerns still linger, with some manufacturers sharing that they see no short-term improvement in sight. Most trailer makers expect demand to continue exceeding capacity through the end of 2023, although some fleets are taking a wait-and-see attitude and splitting orders to hedge their bets for later in the year.

“January OEM business conditions, including 2023 demand expectations and labor, were on-par with December, overall, with a bias toward the ‘better’ side of the pendulum for labor but concerns about demand and the material supply chain on the minds of respondents,” Jennifer McNealy, director of CV market research and publications at ACT Research, said. “Demand overall remains robust, and cancellations are low, but we are hearing that some orders are being made to replenish dealer stock, rather than going directly to fleet customers.”