January Trailers Orders Jump 51% From Last Year
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U.S. trailer orders were predictably stronger than the year-ago period, with the tally jumping 51% in January, ACT Research reported.
Preliminary net data showed orders increased to 21,300 units. But that still represented a 3,100-order decline from December. Seasonally adjusted results at this point in the annual order cycle lower the total for the month to 19,300 units. The report highlighted that the stronger order intake came despite being past the traditional peak.
“This month’s pattern of lower-than-December but still above-average demand was expected,” said Jennifer McNealy, director of commercial vehicle market research at ACT. “It’s also no surprise that the data are higher than the January 2024 intake, given the slowing demand that marked 2023 and led into the subdued market reported throughout most of 2024.”
McNealy cautioned that the expectation is still for weak trailer demand relative to recent performance even with the improvements thus far in 2025. This is being driven by continuing weak for-hire truck market fundamentals, low used equipment valuations, relatively full dealer inventories and high interest rates impeding stronger activity in the near term.
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“It was nice to see a little bit of continued momentum,” said Jeremy Sanders, chief commercial officer at Stoughton Trailers. “At least against last year. You know 2024 was a tough year. So I think we’re definitely seeing some more optimism. There is definitely a continuation of mixed views on what’s going on in the market. Obviously, a lot of the more recent Q4 earnings releases were still pretty rough.”
Sanders suspects there are some customers who need equipment that are hesitant to purchase because they are unsure whether volume and freight rates will improve enough to be profitable. But he has also seen that attitude slowly dissipate. He expects orders will continue to trend positively compared with last year while remaining soft against historical trends.
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“I’m feeling a little bit more upbeat than downbeat about what 2025 is going to look like,” Sanders said. “But I think it’s still going to be a cautious situation. Honestly, one of the big things the industry is working through is how to manage and what to do if some of the tariffs do occur, as reported. That will put some inflation into the industry in terms of price, but it won’t hit everyone equally. So I think that’s going to be a disruption for the industry as we look at the rest of this year.”
Sanders also is anticipating the trailer market to go through a bit of a correction in 2025, with conditions improving as the year progresses.
