COLUMBUS, Ind. — After recent lackluster performance, trailer order activity posted solid improvement in September, according to ACT Research Co. Net orders were up almost 31% month-over-month and 22% year-over-year. Supported by solid production and inventory reduction, total trailer factory shipments were up nearly 65% year-over-year in September.

“Production is still outpacing new order intake, despite the improvement in orders in September,” said Frank Maly, director CV transportation analysis and research with ACT. “This is reducing the backlog. However, we cannot divorce ourselves from seasonality: orders are always weak and backlogs always fall through the third quarter. On a seasonally adjusted basis, total trailer backlogs have been virtually unchanged since May.”