Trailer orders were tremendous for the second month in a row, according to FTR Associates.
October’s total was 53,000 units, coming in just under last month’s record setting number. Additional OEM’s started taking orders for the second half of 2019 and their customers responded by placing huge orders to reserve future build slots. Supply for production parts and components remains tight.
October 2019 trailer orders exceeded the same month last year by 67 percent, with orders for the past twelve months now at 423,000. Both dry van and flatbed orders were very robust but refrigerated vans moderated somewhat.
“This was another great month for trailer orders," Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles, said. "Fleets need to expand to handle steady freight growth. Capacity utilization remains at highly elevated levels. Trailers are being used to make drivers more productive and to help move goods as fast as possible. The supply chain is struggling to perform well and more trailers are needed to improve delivery times. Fleets are expecting the good times to continue and want to make sure they have an adequate supply of trailers throughout 2019.”
