CCJ‘s Indicators rounds up the latest reports on trucking business indicators on rates, freight, equipment, the economy and more.
FTR reports preliminary March trailer orders at 27,500, which reflect a typical seasonal decline, falling 16 percent from February. However, March’s trailer order intake was the month’s highest since 2014 and was up 34 percent from the same month last year.
Trailer orders have totaled 328,000 for the past twelve months, FTR reports.
“Even as orders decline, this remains a stout month of orders for the trailer industry. Some dry van OEMs are running out of 2018 production slots, so we should see orders take their typical swoon in the summer months,” says FTR’s Vice President of Commercial Vehicles, Don Ake.
“The freight growth numbers we continue to see are very impressive across all trailer segments, especially flatbeds,” he says. “Fleets are ordering trailers at a record pace to catch up to freight demand. Fleets need more trailers now and orders placed for Q4 delivery means they expect the freight surge to continue for a while, a good sign for the economy.”
