The early opening of 2027 order boards could be the reason for exceptionally strong July trailer order totals.
In its most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report published Monday, ACT Research announces trailer orders were approximately 15,700 units in July, a 16% sequential increase and up 94% over July 2025.
The month also raised the backlog by 13% year over year, an unusual bump considering July is among the weakest order months in the annual cycle, the company says.
“Trailer quotation activity has been brisk, with many in the industry noting that order boards for 2027 are opening earlier than usual, even as pricing for next year remains unsettled due to tariff-related uncertainty,” says Jennifer McNealy, director of CV market research and publications at ACT Research. “With 2027 order boards opening earlier than normal, net orders continue to surprise to the upside, and while build rates have slowed in line with seasonality, the backlog-to-build ratio has climbed to the 5.0-month threshold, committing the industry into the fourth quarter.
McNealy also shares cancelations have moderated to within the acceptable range, “indicating a more stable environment compared to the volatility seen over the past two years.”
[RELATED: FTR confirms unexpectedly strong July trailer orders]
Trailer utilization rates also have been on the rise, signalizing a strengthen trailer market.
RigDig (owned by Fusable, parent company of TPS), reported a rise of more than 8,700 trailers to the active U.S. carrier population in the second quarter, as detailed in July in our second-quarter Mapping the Market report.
