February net trailer orders dropped 17% over January's numbers, ACT Research says, as tariff uncertainty drags on capital investments.
"Net orders are signaling the worst of the downturn may be in the rearview mirror," says Jennifer McNealy, director of commercial vehicle market research and publications at ACT. "However, we caution that the industry's annual period of seasonally stronger order months is ending, and weaker intake months are expected as we move into the late spring/summer amid tariff uncertainty that is likely extending the 'pause' on ordering decisions."
Net trailer orders are 13% below February 2024, ACT's State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report says.
"We're hearing from those on the trailer industry's frontlines that general economic concerns in the face of tariff ambiguity and its ongoing impact on the freight markets are causing customers to delay ordering," McNealy says. "With weak profits and still-soft freight rates, fleet decision makers are reluctant to pull the trigger on large capital investments until the dust settles and the operating environment becomes clearer."
