FTR released its preliminary July 2025 trailer order totals Monday. FTR reported 7,794 units ordered, slightly below ACT Research’s July preliminary estimate and final total of 8,800 units, and well below the market’s surprise upswing in June.
Month-over-month orders were down 39% as tariff pressures and freight market uncertainty erased June’s dry van-driven rebound, FTR says.
Year-to-date (YTD) orders are 102,991 units, up 31% year over year and averaging 14,713 units per month. But FTR adds 2025 orders are not as strong when looking at 10-year averages. July’s orders were barely half of the market’s 10-year average of 14,856 units. ACT’s YTD tally is slightly higher at 100,700 units, which Jennifer McNealy, director of CV market research and publications at ACT Research, says is 23% higher than the 81,800 bookings in the first seven months of 2024.
Looking ahead, FTR states OEMs face elevated volatility, making disciplined production planning and flexible pricing strategies critical until freight demand and tariff conditions stabilize.
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“The U.S. trailer market is now under mounting pressure as tariff exposure broadens. Higher tariff rates for most major U.S. trading partners kicked in on Aug. 7. Potentially more directly significant for the trailer sector is an expansion of the 50% steel and aluminum tariffs as of Aug. 18 that apparently affects not only imported key components but also the steel and aluminum content of fully assembled imported trailers,” says Dan Moyer, FTR senior analyst, commercial vehicles.
“The escalating tariff impact could affect the trailer market in both supply and demand,” he adds. “OEMs and suppliers must either absorb margin losses or raise prices, possibly accelerating industry consolidation and favoring larger, vertically integrated players. Meanwhile, many fleets are extending replacement cycles — leaning more heavily on used trailers — and deferring expansion, thus dampening demand for new build.”
FTR reports order cancelations were 17% of gross orders in July, down from a peak of 39% in May. Cumulative net orders for the 2025 season (September 2024-July 2025) stand at 181,430 units, down 5% year over year and averaging 16,494 per month.
Preliminary year-over-year trailer order totals.FTR
Total U.S. trailer build declined 1% from June and 4% from last year to 17,999 units in July. Year to date, FTR reports 2025 build is down 23% year over year to 116,826 units, averaging 16,689 per month.
[RELATED: July trailer orders show expected dip]
FTR adds with net orders trailing build, backlogs fell by 11,364 units (-11% from June; -10% from 2024) to 92,132 units, lowering the backlog/build ratio to 5.1 months. The shrinking backlog signals potential production headwinds if order activity does not rebound with the opening of 2026 order boards in or about September, the company states.
“The market is shifting toward heightened price sensitivity and cautious capital spending with some supply chains likely considering domestic reorientation — but at structurally higher cost levels. Policy uncertainty is compounding volatility, making long-term planning increasingly difficult,” Moyer says.
Adds McNealy, “At this point, weaker intake continues to be expected through at least mid-Q3 when more of the industry’s 2026 order books open. “As the industry remains in the weaker months of the annual order cycle, build again outpaced orders in July. Trailer production was about double order placements. As a result, backlogs contracted 11% sequentially and remain sharply lower against 2024’s already soft backdrop.”
