Trailer net orders fell nearly 14% month over month, and contracted 10% year over year, according to the most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT).

“New orders continued to ease in May, following seasonally projected patterns, but fleets continue to bias their investments to trailers,” said Frank Maly, Director–CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT. “The market is being driven by large fleets, as small to medium fleets are tending to remain on the sidelines. That said, large players are not immune to market pressures, as anecdotal information indicates that negotiations for the upcoming order season are starting to bog down.” He added that caution over current and anticipated market conditions and fleet financials are beginning to be expressed.

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.