Engine issues, production backlogs, and labor and parts shortages have airlines and aircraft lessors scrambling to maintain operational readiness.
Class 8 truck orders rose in July, but they are still in the summer doldrums and trail replacement demand.
Wabash reported record Q2 earnings because it was able to price its trailers and truck bodies higher than the cost of materials.
Class 8 orders in June remained muted as manufacturers focused on reducing their backlogs of unbuilt trucks.
May’s Class 8 truck orders rose, but a truer measure of manufacturing health is the industry’s still-elevated backlog-to-build number.
Trailer maker Wabash reaped the benefits of its reorganization and long-term customer deals in the first quarter.
After a surge in orders in December, trailer OEMs follow truck manufacturers in reporting slower bookings with large backlogs.
Don’t expect the restrictions that truck manufacturers are imposing on Class 8 order intake to last. There’s too much at stake.
Electric truck maker Nikola posted its first gross profit in Q1 and racked up orders backed by California incentives.
Trailer orders in January achieved equilibrium with the months of unbuilt orders as fleets and manufacturers operated in an ongoing parts supply shortage.
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.
After a couple of oddball years, shippers and carriers alike are anxious to see how the market rebalances — or doesn’t — after the new year.
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.
Fleets and individual truckers buying at today’s elevated prices
assume a big risk when the used equipment market normalizes.
Declining Class 8 truck orders in May are deceptive. Fleets would order more but they are holding off because it might take a year to get them.
March Class 8 truck orders fell slightly from February, but still added to an industry backlog that manufacturers are struggling to reduce.
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Workhorse Group built just seven electric delivery vans for the second consecutive quarter. Production systems and supply chain problems hamper the company.
Driveline and thermal management supplier Dana Inc. has $700 million in new business from auto and truck makers. Half of it is in electrification contracts.
2020 was supposed to be a year when trailer orders dropped after racing ahead of Class 8 tractor reservations. Even with practically no orders in April, annual trailer bookings blew away early-year predictions.
