New trailer orders surged to their highest level in 15 months in March, but a supply chain fraught with trouble means it could be an anomaly.
Seeking to avoid the embarrassment of canceling fleet orders last year, truck manufacturers are keeping a tight lid on bookings.
Trailers relegated to storage units are being cleaned up and hooked up to return to service as fleets wait out the supply chain crisis.
Manufacturers kept the screws tight on new Class 8 truck orders in February as a lack of supply chain visibility maintained stable backlogs.
The “everything shortage” forced truck manufacturers to cancel, retime and slow order intake even as demand for more trucks surges.
Trailer orders in January achieved equilibrium with the months of unbuilt orders as fleets and manufacturers operated in an ongoing parts supply shortage.
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
It took a delicate dance by truck manufacturers and fleets in January to keep Class 8 orders from adding to the industry’s huge backlog.
Class 8 equipment orders are impacted by customer cancellations and OEMs bound by the turning of calendar pages.
Truck Tech is a weekly newsletter providing perspective and context on autonomy, electrification and other technologies impacting the fleet ecosystem.
Used truck prices continued to rise as 2021 ended with a short supply of late-model used trucks the main culprit, but there were other reasons too.
Worker outages and parts shortages becoming status quo for beleaguered trailer manufacturers.
Like the doorman at a posh nightclub who decides who gets in, truck manufacturers are choosy about what Class 8 orders they’ll accept.
Class 8 truck orders placed this year for 2022 models are being retimed to next year as 2023 models because parts shortages are preventing production.
La crisis de la cadena de suministro provoca nuevos trámites
que confirman los retrasos en las entregas
Drivers and fleets can get loans to pay sky-high prices for used trucks because spot rates let them earn more than enough to repay.
Central Freight Lines shuts down, U.S. Xpress fires truckload exec and ACT releases driver hiring data Central Freight Lines to shut down after 96 years Central Freight Lines to shut down after 96 years Central Freight Lines is shutting down after 96 years in operation. The LTL carrier based in Waco, Texas, has over 2,100 […]
Supply chain disruptions are far from over for trailer manufacturers, meaning November’s order rebound is probably not sustainable.
With order backlogs exceeding 14 months, manufacturers are accepting few new orders, frustrating fleet demand.
ATRI research on truck driver motivations and satisfaction The American Transportation Research Institute released results on its analysis on what motivates truck drivers to become company drivers or owner-operators/independent contractors (OO/IC). The data came from over 2,000 drivers, two-thirds of whom are OO/IC, and includes additional analysis on compensation models and driver satisfaction. Quick rundown […]
