DUBLIN, Ohio —Transportation Equipment Network (TEN) is adding 3,000 dry van trailers to its fleet ahead of a peak season that is already starting earlier and running tighter on capacity than recent years.
“Every fleet manager knows how hard it is normally to find trailers in the fourth quarter, and we expect this holiday season to be one of the most intense we’ve seen in the last few years,” said Ari Silkey, COO, TEN. “We secured these new units to meet what we anticipate to be an unusually high demand, so our customers aren’t scrambling for equipment when they should be focused on moving freight.”
This brings the company’s total fleet to 85,000 trailers. The new 2027 models are equipped with the latest in telematics and trailer sensors, and will be available for rent or lease in the U.S. and Canada starting next month.
Trailer Demand Surges
Demand for new trailers has surged, with July orders nearly doubling year-over-year, according to ACT Research. At the same time, retailers have pulled holiday inventory imports forward by four to six weeks to get ahead of tariff uncertainty, meaning the freight that typically moves through distribution networks later in the fall is already building in warehouses. It’s creating a longer, more demanding peak season with a smaller pool of available equipment.
The industry’s backlog-to-build ratio has reached five months, according to ACT Research, meaning new trailer orders placed today are unlikely to be delivered before the second quarter of 2027.
“Capacity is tightening and everybody knows it – the question going into peak isn’t price, it’s whether the trailers exist,” said Adis Danan, founder of JoyRide Logistics. “When we need 50 more vans on short notice, TEN is big enough to say yes. That’s the difference between taking the freight and passing on it.”
TEN offers dry van, refrigerated, heated, flatbed, chassis and storage equipment. The dry van trailers are available for short-term rental or long-term lease, with no regional restrictions, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
