COLUMBUS, Ind. –  ACT’s preliminary estimate for April net trailer orders is 20,200 units — down 6% month-over-month.

“While net orders were off approximately 6% from March, industry patterns actually call for some softening in volume as we exit the industry’s normal ‘order season.’ On that basis, the April month-over-month decline is actually a bit less than we would have expected,” said Frank Maly, ACT’s director of CV transportation analysis and research. “Year-over-year, April orders were 22% above the same month last year; that’s the fifth straight month of stronger volume on a year-over-year basis. Our preliminary results indicate that dry vans continue to post solid numbers, while flatbeds appear to have garnered the best year-over-year order growth, on a percentage basis, last month.”