ACT Research on Tuesday echoed last Friday’s announcement from FTR on a strong first month of trailer orders for 2017, reporting the industry closed the month with orders up 92 percent year-over-year.
With total net orders approaching 33,000 units, ACT Research says the month was off 6 percent sequentially, though seasonal adjustments rank January as the best in the last 15.
“While 2017 order season timing has lagged, recent order activity indicates a substantive, positive change in fleet confidence,” says Frank Maly, director, CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT. “Later trailer order commitments may portend somewhat later delivery dates, more in line with reports of a “back loading” of available 2017 C8 build slots.”
ACT says dry van net orders were reported at 25,500 units, with seasonal adjustment making January the best month since September 2015.
“Using seasonal adjustment, dry van orders the past three months have been booked at a 237,000-unit annualized rate, more than double the 114,000-unit rate experienced the preceding three months,” says Maly. “Moving in the opposite direction, reefer van orders moderated following robust order activity through Q4.”
