Preliminary trailer order numbers for January were in the 40,000 range for the third consecutive month, the first time in history that the industry has been at those levels in any three-month period.
Sturdy freight growth prodded by what FTR Vice President of Commercial Vehicles Don Ake calls a “vibrant economy” is pushing fleets to add capacity quickly.
“That has showed up in the truck numbers and even more in the trailer numbers,” he says.
Ake notes that dry van totals were elevated again last month and refrigerated van orders were particularly strong. January order activity is expected to push backlogs to their highest level since March 2016.
“Carriers continue to add trailers as a way to increase total productivity,” Ake says. “All trailer segments are now looking very bright for 2018. Overall business confidence is surging due to tax reform and it’s making a hot market even hotter.”
