FTR reports preliminary trailer orders for December at 28,000 units, a 38 percent drop from November and 39 percent below a year ago.
Trailer order activity moderated in December after experiencing tremendous levels over the previous three months. Total trailers orders of 127,000 units in Q4 2018 were the second highest quarter ever with 2018 totaling 409,800 trailer orders, by far a record year.
Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles, commented, “This drop was expected since the first half of the year is already booked for dry vans and refrigerated vans. Most of the big fleets already have their requirements orders in for 2019. Now the medium and small fleets are searching for the remaining build slots, based on their expected needs in the second half of the year. Flatbed, tanker and dump fleets continue to order at respectable rates, indicating the economy is generating freight demand across various sectors and industries.”
