COLUMBUS, Ind. -- Trailer orders continued their roller coaster ride in January, declining month-over-month from December’s “unsustainable level,” according to ACT Research. A total of 20,357 net orders were booked in January, down 34% from December.
Despite the decline, orders were still strong enough to generate a small gain in January backlog, according to ACT. January backlogs increased to 5.3 months.
“January activity generally met our expectations that the new year might start a bit slow before gaining stride. The average seasonally adjusted annual rate for the last two months was 269,000 units, which gives a better perspective on the market,” said Frank Maly, director of commercial vehicle transportation with ACT Research.