Even with the appropriate seasonal perspective, trailer order volume was below expectations in July. July net orders of 12,739 units were down 17% month over month. This update on industry performance was reported in the latest State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT).

“July net orders at a seasonally adjusted annual rate were a disappointing 201,000 units,” said Frank Maly, Director-CV Transportation with ACT Research. “As we noted last month, production levels continue at rates well above new order intake. While the manufacturers did adjust their build rates in July, without some additional order support, further modification could be needed to keep the backlog to build ratio at an acceptable level,” he added. One positive note is that cancellations continue to be low, indicating that equipment on the orderboards is truly needed.

ACT is the worldwide leading publisher of new and used commercial vehicle (CV) industry data, market analysis and forecasting services for the North American market, as well as the U.S. tractor-trailer market and the China CV market. ACT’s CV services are used by all major North American truck and trailer manufacturers and their suppliers, as well as the banking and investment community in North America, Europe and China.