Preliminary trailer orders hit their highest point since December 2020 in March as trailer manufacturers accepted more orders in filling final build slots for the year ahead, ACT Research announced Wednesday.
Preliminary orders for March were 37,900 units, ACT Research reports, a 40 percent month over month increase from February and 28 percent above the same month last year.
"Our discussions this month revealed a variation in order acceptance strategies across the industry," says Frank Maly, director, commercial vehicle transportation analysis and research. "Some OEMs noted their extremely low order volume was the result of a 'sell-out' of their projected available production slots for the remainder of the year. Others, accepting higher order volumes, were in the process of filling their remaining production capacity for 2022."
Maly adds OEMs also mentioned an unwillingness to officially open 2023 orderboards, with concerns about setting pricing the major challenge. He says a positive development was indication that some supply-chain relief was beginning to be felt.
"Final figures for the month will likely reveal total industry backlog now stretching into December at current production rates, heavily influenced by dry van and reefer commitments that basically fill their year," he says.
