ACT Research says the U.S. trailer market is now in "stay afloat" mode.
"Carrier profits remain weak, freight rate traction is incremental, private fleets are pulling back on asset investments, and Class 8 indicators continue to deteriorate," says Jennifer McNealy, director of commercial vehicle market research and publications at ACT Research. "At this point, muted intake continues to be expected until policies and pricing are more transparent and carrier profitability sustainability increases."
[RELATED: Trailer orders bearish in August]
The industry is in the weaker months of the annual order cycle and build again outpaced orders in August, McNealy says.
"With weak orders, an elevated cancelation rate and lower build rates, the industry backlog-to-build ratio fell to 3.6 months in August, which doesn't commit the industry into the beginning of 2026 and is well below the long-term BL/BU average of 5.7 months," McNealy says. "To say that the environment is challenging at present may be an understatement."
