FTR: Truck trailer orders drop 35% in March

Freight transportation analyst firm FTR said U.S. truck trailer orders for March fell 35 percent over the previous month to 13,800 units.    Freight transportation analyst firm FTR said U.S. truck trailer orders for March fell 35 percent over the previous month to 13,800 units.
   FTR noted that the monthly order activity, the lowest since July 2013, was “disappointing and well below expectations,” adding “despite the weak numbers for March, orders have totaled 291,000 units for the last 12 months and backlogs are down only 6 percent year over year.”
   “Dry van orders were weak because the vast majority of fleets placed their 2016 orders from August 2015 through February 2016,” explained Don Ake, FTR’s vice president of commercial vehicles. “A large chunk of these orders were to replace older units that were not upgraded due to the aftermath of the Great Recession. The big question now is how solid the backlog will be if the economy remains stagnant.”