After recently uncovering which truck and engine brands have the strongest hold on the used truck space, Trucks, Parts, Service continues its research into used equipment market data with a look at the operating trailer population.
RigDig Business Intelligence (RDBI), sister company of TPS, has more than 1.7 million verified trailers in its data set. Most of those units (more than 1.3 million) are operated by carriers who have an average trailer age of at least eight years.
Among that cohort, Utility Trailer stands as the market’s leader — though a dive into RDBI’s data shows Utility’s top position in the trailer space isn’t quite as secure as Freightliner or Cummins in the truck and engine markets.
Within RDBI’s data set of carriers with equipment at least eight years old on average — the same parameters used for our engine brand analysis — Utility has more than 264,000 trailers in operation, good for 19.8% marketshare and nearly 70,000 units ahead of runner up Great Dane (14.7%). Wabash takes the bronze medal in that carrier group at 13.8% of the market, with Hyundai (11.4%) and Stoughton (4.4%) rounding out the market’s top five.
[RELATED: Uncovering engine marketshare with fleet activity data]
But change the average age of a carrier’s equipment and the brand percentages change with it. Utility’s used equipment marketshare edge is supported by trailers produced at least a decade ago.
Removing age parameters from RDBI’s data set to look at all operating equipment (more than 1.73 million verified trailers) shrinks Utility’s marketshare to 17.2%, with Great Dane (14.6%) and Wabash (13.9%) mostly holding firm behind. Hyundai is the big mover in this set, rising to capture 13.3% of the market.
Conversely, shifting a fleet’s average trailer age to 12 years or more bolsters Utility’s marketshare dramatically, up to 21.5%, while Hyundai (7.7%) and Wabash (11.4%) lose marketshare and Great Dane holds steady at 14.2%.
Among carriers with equipment averaging four years old or less, Hyundai (16.1%) and Utility (6.9%) actually swap places. Great Dane (11.2%) and Wabash (7.4%) again stand second and third, albeit with smaller shares of the market as well.
[RELATED: Why data analysis should be part of your used equipment sales strategy]
Returning to the eight year old or older average equipment segment to focus on used equipment buyers also shows regional preferences within the trailer space.
The five states with the most prospects in RDBI’s eight year old and older data set are California, Texas, Florida, Illinois and Georgia. Utility is the top brand in those first four states, but Great Dane ranks first in Georgia, where it has a corporate office. Great Dane also is the top brand in Pennsylvania and New York, seventh and tenth in RDBI’s total prospects list, as well as New Jersey and Connecticut, and showing a preference among customers in that area.
On the west coast, San Diego-headquartered Hyundai is second in marketshare in California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada, and first in Arizona. It’s combined 16.7% marketshare in the states trails only fellow California brand Utility at 23.1%.
Finally, a similar homefield advantage can be seen for Stoughton in Wisconsin, where it jumps from fifth to third with 13% marketshare.
