FTR confirmed Monday earlier reporting from last week that U.S. trailer net orders more than doubled month over month in June, rising 113% to 13,827 units.
Net orders were up 157% year over year versus a June 2024 level that is one of the lowest since FTR began tracking the data in 2013. Only June 2023 and the lockdown months of April and May 2020 saw fewer trailer net orders than June of last year.
Despite the sharp improvement versus May’s net order volume, FTR notes June still trailed the 16,134-unit monthly average for 2025 to date. The 96,803 year-to-date (YTD) net trailer orders were up 36% year over year.
“Tariffs are increasing the materials cost of building trailers, especially with the doubling of the rate on imports of steel and aluminum to 50% in early June. Trailer manufacturers and their suppliers continue to face a difficult choice: either absorb the rising costs themselves or pass them on to fleets, which could significantly influence decisions around fleet expansion and maintenance,” says Dan Moyer, senior analyst, commercial vehicles at FTR.
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“This financial pressure, along with lingering market uncertainty, appears to be leading many fleets to postpone new trailer purchases and instead consider refurbished units or alternative configurations.”
Additionally, order cancelations fell to 17% of gross orders in June, a level that is much more typical than the close to 39% rate in May. Cumulative net orders for the 2025 ordering season (September 2024 to June 2025) totaled 175,242 units, down 5% year over year and averaging 17,524 units per month.
During June, total U.S. trailer build increased 7% month over month but decreased 13% year over year to 18,071 units. FTR states YTD trailer build is down 26% year over year to 98,773 units, an average of 16,462 per month. With total trailer net orders significantly below build, backlogs decreased by 4,520 units (-4% month over month; -10% year over year) to 104,219 units. The larger decrease in backlogs compared to build lowered the backlog/build ratio to 5.8 months, FTR adds.
Adds Moyer “Ultimately, the market is becoming increasingly price sensitive. Trailer lifecycles are being extended, and demand is gradually shifting toward used equipment and non-traditional trailer options. These trends reflect a broader adaptation to the current economic and regulatory environment.”
