After a great start to 2026, FTR and ACT Research reported Wednesday preliminary net trailer orders were down in February as the industry transitions from its strong order season into a weaker period.
FTR reported preliminary trailer orders of 13,305 units, down 45% from January and 31% off from February 2025. ACT Research’s estimate was nearly identical at 13,200 units, down 43% from January and off 26% against February 2025.
ACT says its seasonal adjustment amends the total even further to 12,300 units, but Jennifer McNealy, ACT’s director of CV Market Research and Publications, also says the drop in orders was expected.
“Trailer makers now will begin to take fewer orders and start to work down the backlog that grew during the peak of order season at the end of the previous year, which in this year’s cycle started and ended later than usual, as fleet decision-making hesitance into late 2025 delayed the cycle a bit and caused a high-side surprise in January,” she says.
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FTR reports with February’s low total, the 2026 order season (September to February) is now down 19% year over year. Last month’s light total was also well below the 10-year February average of 25,172 units.
FTR reports with orders for 2026 production trending notably lower year over year, OEMs are likely to remain conservative in their 2026 build plans. Build was up 15% month over month in February but flat year over year.
Looking ahead, FTR states trailer demand remains largely at replacement levels as fleets still have sufficient capacity and are prioritizing Class 8 purchases. Meanwhile, trailer demand continues to face several headwinds — elevated steel and aluminum costs, ongoing tariff uncertainty, persistently high financing costs, constrained capital spending, etc. — that are keeping orders subdued despite notably improving truck freight fundamentals.
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“The U.S. trailer market remains under pressure from elevated input costs and ongoing trade uncertainty. Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum, and derivative products remain in place,” says Dan Moyer, FTR senior analyst, commercial vehicles.
“Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s February ruling striking down the administration’s country-specific tariffs that relied on emergency powers, replacement tariffs of 10% under other authority took their place. Trade pressures are also intensifying in the van segment due to an ongoing antidumping and countervailing duty investigation.”
McNealy offers a similar take on future production.
“We now question when we will see 20,000-plus-unit order intake months again, and how quickly trailer OEMs will build down the still-thin backlog, particularly given concerns about the level of activity in the key freight-generating economic sectors that drive transportation demand,” she says.
