August net trailer orders came in 40% year-over-year, at 7,700 units, but still 500 units above July, ACT Research says. This brings the net order so far this year to 89,400 units.
[RELATED: FTR confirms August trailer market softness despite slight increase]
"Trailer cancellations moved higher again in August," says Jennifer McNealy, director of commercial vehicle market research and publications at ACT. "The cancellation rate increased to 3.6% of the backlog, from July's 3% rate. Build significantly outpaced orders again in August, by 11,000 units. As a result, backlogs shrank nearly 14% sequentially."
[RELATED: ACT: Used truck sales dragged in August]
McNealy says manufacturers and suppliers are still trying to weather a storm of weak demand.
"They say no news is good news, but in the case of the current U.S. trailer environment, that's hardly the case," she says. "While no news means conditions aren't deteriorating, it also means no real improvement presently, despite hopes for the contrary amid otherwise generally positive economic news."
ACT reported in the numbers in State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers.
