
ACT Research reported on December net trailer orders were up 17% from November at 24,300 units. However, that's about 3% below December 2023, the company's State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report says.
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"This brings full-year 2024 activity to 163,500 units, competing against a better 2023 order environment (236,000) and fuller backlogs," says Jennifer McNealy, director of commercial vehicle market research and publications at ACT. "That said, December's net orders of -3% are an improvement when compared to Q4's -24% or the full-year drop of 31%, meaning the worst of the downturn is clearly in the rearview mirror, and while not 'good,' indicated movement toward 'better.'"
Order intake also outstripped build, McNealy says, by about 11,500 units.
"As a result, backlogs expanded almost 16% sequentially," she says, and the backlog-to-build ratio grew to 5.2 months.
"In short, 2024 was a challenging year for the U.S. trailer market, and OEMs still see challenges in the offing as the calendar flips to 2025," McNealy says.