It appears December was a market wide order explosion.
ACT Research reported Friday its preliminary net trailer orders in December were up nearly 13,400 units from November’s 11,900-unit level, a 112% month-to-month increase.
At 25,300 units booked in December, ACT reports order intake was almost 5% above December 2024’s level, though seasonal adjustment (SA) at this point in the annual order cycle lowers the monthly tally to 18,600 units.
“Sequentially, a slight uptick in net orders was expected, as December is usually the second strongest order month of the annual cycle,” says Jennifer McNealy, director of CV market research and publications at ACT Research. “That said, preliminary data showed new vehicle demand for power units jolt awake in December, and those same factors of a firmer economic foundation, December’s weather-induced spike in freight rates, increasingly aged fleets, and some level of tariff-related clarity are also in play for trailing equipment demand.”
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She adds December’s tally brings the fourth quarter net order total to 53,400 units and closes 2025 with 172,100 units of trailing equipment ordered, about 6% more trailers than were requested in 2024.
“While a better year than 2024, concerns about the level of economic activity that drives transportation demand, still-weak, although improving, for-hire carrier profitability, and uncertainty about future government policies remain as challenges to stronger trailer demand in the near term,” McNealy says.
