According to the latest State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report published by ACT Research Co. (ACT), new and net trailer orders in October reached their highest levels since April and May, checking in at 19,408 units and 17,384 units, respectively. ACT noted that, taking seasonality into account, October’s backlog rose a modest 1.5% month over month. 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

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