The trailer market is experiencing an unexpected surge, with utilization rates surpassing even pandemic levels. Craig Barth, CFO at Premier Trailer Leasing, breaks down why this supply-side driven boom is happening, the shift in demand for older equipment, and critical fraud warnings for those seeking rentals. We also dive into how fleets are navigating CapEx decisions and the importance of preventive maintenance to keep trailers on the road.
Trailer leasing utilization at Premier Trailer Leasing has climbed to the highest levels the company has ever recorded, surpassing even peak pandemic-era demand — a development its CFO says caught the industry off guard. The driver is not a surge in freight volumes but a contraction in supply: carriers running older equipment have been exiting the market, leaving those that remain competing for newer trailers from leasing companies.
“The trailer market right now is extremely hot. It is something we honestly did not see coming at the beginning of this year,” said Craig Barth, CFO of Premier Trailer Leasing. “Today, our utilization is running as high as it ever has, even beating some of our peak utilization during the pandemic.”
“We’re buying all we can in the 4th quarter to meet customer demand. Right now, we’re placing orders well into next year trying to get ahead of what we think is going to be a very strong 2027.” — Craig Barth, CFO, Premier Trailer Leasing
The tightest segment of the market is trailers aged 10 years and newer. Barth said customers originally sought 0-to-5-year-old units, but that cohort has been entirely absorbed. Demand has also been reinforced by years of underinvestment at the manufacturing level: Barth noted that trailer manufacturers have been building well below replacement volumes for the last three years, leaving carriers that preferred to retire trailers at five years now running equipment seven, eight, or nine years old and facing rising maintenance costs.
Demand firmed noticeably in the May-June timeframe, Barth said, when conversations with customers about late third-quarter and fourth-quarter needs turned “flat out optimistic.” Premier does not normally purchase new equipment in the fourth quarter — typically a period when trailers return to the yard — but this year it is buying as much as it can. Flatbed trailers are seeing particularly acute pressure, driven in part by data center construction activity, with availability rather than price the primary constraint. On the dry van side, resilient consumer spending heading into the holiday season is adding to demand.
Carrier CapEx constraints are also steering business toward leasing. With fleets simultaneously cycling through truck renewals and contending with elevated fuel costs and rising driver pay, many operators lack budget to purchase trailers outright. “A lot of our customers right now are going through renewal cycles on the truck side of things,” Barth said, “and they’re having to focus their energies there.”
On the fraud front, Barth issued a warning about a scheme targeting trailer renters. Bad actors are monitoring drop yards and distribution centers for trailers sitting idle for three to four days, then advertising those units — falsely — for rent on Facebook Marketplace. The listings use AI-generated invoices and demand payment via Zelle or Venmo. Victims have lost between $700 and $1,000 per incident before authorities are notified. Barth said Premier never accepts Zelle or Venmo payments and urged anyone considering a trailer rental to call one of the company’s 42 branch locations across 31 states to verify legitimacy before sending money.
- Premier Trailer Leasing’s utilization has hit all-time highs, surpassing pandemic peaks, driven by supply contraction rather than demand growth.
- Trailer manufacturers have built below replacement volumes for three years, pushing carriers to run equipment 7–9 years old and turn to leasing as CapEx budgets remain constrained.
- A Facebook Marketplace fraud scheme uses AI-generated invoices to advertise leased trailers illegally, demanding Zelle or Venmo payments and costing victims $700–$1,000 per incident.
This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above.
