Fears of a recession are not dampening fleet demand for commercial trailers. ACT Research reported preliminary orders of 46,750 units in October, up 82% from September levels and a 168% jump year over year.

“With more 2023 order boards opening, October net orders continued their upward trend,” said Jennifer McNealy, director commercial vehicle market research and publications at ACT Research.

“With the supply chain constraints improving for trailer manufacturers, as well as their increasing nimbleness in meeting and mitigating those challenges, OEMs are more comfortable accepting orders, and this month’s preliminary data demonstrates that. Demand remains strong. With backlog-to-build ratios above the seven-month mark, on average, fleets needing trailers are getting in queue and staying there.”