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In December, net orders for trailers were at an all time high. The 47 thousand units on order were 10% more than November, and 38% more than in 2017. The previous record was set in December of 2014 at 45,800 units. Jason Cannon writes in CCJ:
“We have seen pressure build on equipment markets for several months,” says Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles, “and this shows Q1 is going to be hectic as fleets scramble to keep up with freight demand.”
Ake says fleets are ordering thousands of dry vans to deal with tightening trucking capacity thanks to the ELD mandate, as freight continues to grow without enough equipment to haul it. Carriers, he adds, are more frequently dropping-and-hooking to compensate for the lack of drivers and they need more trailers to manage demand.
Across the board economic growth is also keeping trailer demand strong in the other segments, according to FTR. Refrigerated freight remains robust and the flatbed market continues to surge with construction and manufacturing growth boosting demand. Higher crude prices are reviving tank trailer sales.
Read more here.