The downside pressures that slowed new truck order totals in September did not impact the trailer market, which skyrocketed once again last month.
ACT Research reported Monday preliminary trailer orders of 42,700 units last month, up 311% year over year and more than 32,000 units. ACT acknowledges the meteoric rise is in comparison to a weak 2025, but also states when seasonally adjusted the September total still stands at 36,700 units — the third best seasonally adjusted order volume in the past 55 months.
FTR’s estimate was even higher at 43,059 units — the most since December 2022 — and up 78% month over month and 385% against 2025.
“Seasonally speaking, September net orders should have improved sequentially, so the uptick from August was no surprise,” says Jennifer McNealy, director of CV market research and publications at ACT Research. “The degree of improvement, however, by historical standards was atypical, continuing the unusual pattern of the 2025-2026 order cycle.”
[RELATED: Trailer orders also took a dramatic step forward in August]
McNealy says orders that should have been placed in September 2025, for the new cycle, were not actually placed until December or early 2026, and as the season continued so did the gradual uptick in order placement, in general.
“While comparisons were outsized, in seasonal terms, September’s performance built on seasonally strong orders since May.”
On a seasonal basis, ACT says September was up 2,900 units and 9% from August. On a nominal basis, orders were up 18,000 units.
“ACT Research continues to hear the dramatic spike in U.S. trailer orders is a four-fold event: customers ordering ahead of tariff-related price increases, healthier long-term profitability conditions for carriers, pent-up replacement demand and a sharply tighter driver supply,” says McNealy. “The current U.S. trailer industry environment is a perfect storm: Carriers now have both the willingness and the ability to purchase equipment and are inspired to do so sooner rather than later, as they also face rising prices and an untested domestic supply chain that could cause build constraints, lengthier production queues, and delayed deliveries.
FTR concurs. The company stated Tuesday that although weak prior-year comparisons magnify the September increase, solid orders in both August and September point to substantial pent-up replacement demand, and some limited fleet expansion also is possible.
[RELATED: New equipment markets headed in different directions]
FTR states earlier openings of 2027 order books and anticipation of further tariff-related trailer price increases may be encouraging fleets to place orders sooner.
Meanwhile, the conclusion of the Class 8 pre-buy and regulatory uncertainty pending finalization of the EPA’s 2027 NOx compliance requirements could be shifting some near-term capital spending from power units toward trailers. Elevated equipment costs, however, will likely keep fleet investment selective.
“Industry feedback reinforces the improving outlook. Rising quote activity and more requests for proposals indicate that fleets are becoming increasingly active in equipment planning. Trailer leasing utilization remains high while availability has tightened in certain markets, suggesting growing pressure on existing equipment capacity,” says Dan Moyer, FTR senior analyst, commercial vehicles. “Overall, the outlook points to stronger trailer demand in 2027, although September’s exceptional order pace may not be sustained. Elevated equipment costs, trade uncertainty, potential supply chain constraints, and competing fleet capital needs could temper the pace of recovery.”
McNealy adds, “We often make the case that there is a profitability-related component that makes demand somewhat binary. It would appear that the switch has been flipped,” she adds. “Coming in well above current build levels, industry backlogs are expected to rise by around 18,000 when full industry data are reported.”
