An aging dry van fleet and improving market conditions helped push trailer orders for these models up 79 percent over 2009 levels, according to the latest numbers from ACT Research. But it’s not just dry vans that are making improvements. Eight of the nine trailer categories tracked by the research firm posted year-over-year growth. Analysts are calling the improvements overall something of a perfect storm. For example, while the average age of Class 8 trucks in U.S. fleets is now 6.5 years – the highest in 30 years – U.S. fleet dry van trailers now average 8.5 years. In addition, the supply/demand Continue Reading

For the first time since August 2009, the price of a used Class 8 vehicle eclipsed $40,000, according to ACT Research Co.’s State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks report. That’s because reported sales were up 55 percent in August as compared to the prior year. And coupled with short supply and greater demand, a used truck can fetch an increasingly higher price. Dealers said customers are looking for late-model used vehicles particularly. The news sounds promising, but the numbers may only be telling a small part of the story. According to ACT, only an estimated 10 percent of Continue Reading

Trailer orders continued their healthy rebound, according to the latest report from ACT Research Co. In August, commercial net trailer orders rose 55 percent from the same month last year, “one of the worst years in the commercial trailer industry,” the research firm said. Orders improved across the board in eight of nine categories ACT tracks, with the only drop being in dump trailers. August’s net orders of 10,946 were 2% over July’s level and trailer makers boosted Continue Reading

Like net trailer orders, Class 8 net orders fell 27 percent from June to July this year, but overall sales are trending upward, according to ACT Research’s State of the Industry: Classes 5-8 Vehicles report. Analysts attributed the month-to-month decline in part to seasonality. Medium-duty trucks showed the strongest improvement, up 100 percent from July 2009. As trucking company profitability continues to strengthen, Class 8 sales will Continue Reading

Though new trailer orders took a dip from June to July this year, industry analysts remain positive about the overall direction of the market. According to data from ACT Research, Co., last month’s numbers showed a 74 percent improvement over the same time last year. And the largest segment of commercial trailers, dry vans, saw something of a comeback with a 134 percent jump from July 2009. As far as the 9 percent decline in new orders from June to July, researchers say bear in mind the continued effects of a very weak 2009. Despite these tentative numbers, ACT Research showed the demand Continue Reading