COLUMBUS, Ind. – U.S. net trailer orders totaled 28,319 units, a 49% improvement from July and up 160% year-over-year, ACT Research reports.

“Conversations in recent months have indicated a change in fleet perspective, frequently phrased as more requests for quotes, ongoing negotiations, or a simple statement that ‘the phone is ringing a lot more lately’,” said Frank Maly, director, CV transportation analysis and research at ACT Research.

“That shift started in late June, and we saw a minor gain in orders in July.”

He added, “However, it’s still not all sunshine, as August’s orders included a substantial amount of large fleet demand, with strong e-commerce support, which bodes well for dry vans and reefers, but provides minimal benefit for vocational categories. With large fleets seeing better volumes and rates, they may be moving with a more bullish perspective than we perceive, and while trailer OEMs welcome the interest, they are wondering if the recent order strength has legs.”