Facilitated by the additional build days, trailer production jumped 25 percent from February, the highest level since March of last year, ACT Research reported Tuesday.
“Roughly 60 percent of the month-over-month gain came from the additional build days in the quarter-ending month, while the remaining 40 percent improvement came from a 94 upd sequential jump in the build rate,” says Frank Maly, director, CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT. “Even with that surge, it appears that the industry’s additional production capacity is still not being fully utilized.”
ACT Research data shows trailer shipments closed the first quarter with a 26 percent increase from February, with every trailer category being up from last month.
“The 26 percent sequential gain was almost exactly aligned with seasonal expectations,” says Maly. “The strong orderboard turnaround that began in December is finally being reflected in build and shipments,” he concluded.
