December trailer orders 2nd highest on record
Trailer manufacturers took in 57,300 orders in December, the second-highest monthly total since tracking began in 1996.
Even as the economy shows signs of slowing, trailer manufacturers see strong demand and few cancellations.
The easing of constricted supply chains has allowed trailer manufacturers to accept orders that were shunned a year ago.
Uncertainty in the supply chain and commodity price vagaries are stretching out trailer orders beyond traditional cycles.
urricane season can frequently — and unexpectedly — change the trucking dynamic. Part of this involves the positioning of equipment in anticipation for hauling FEMA freight.
Rail service levels are impacting trucking intermodal growth plans. At a Deutsche Bank transportation conference on Tuesday, J.B. Hunt noted that intermodal demand remained strong but poor rail service appears to be creating a bottleneck.
When the 2023 orderbooks for trailers finally open, the suppressed booking numbers will flip in a hurry, but that isn’t happening yet.
Trailer maker Wabash is benefiting from a steady order backlog and a focus on more activity with targeted customers.
FreightWaves recently conducted a survey of owner-operators outlining business issues and outlooks on profitability in 2022 compared to the previous year.
