COLUMBUS, Ind. — According to this month’s issue of ACT Research’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report, four months into 2026 and the US trailer industry remains mired in the same challenging environment in which it operated throughout 2025.
“Counter to cyclical expectations, net order intake in April increased from March, albeit by just 3%, logging 19.4k orders placed this month,” said Jennifer McNealy, director–CV market research & publications, ACT. “Compared to April 2025, net orders vaulted nearly 127% over the subdued intake of 8.6k last year. Seasonally adjusted, trailer orders were 26.8k units compared to an 18.8k SA rate in March, up almost 43% m/m. April’s cancellation rate of 1.4%, as a percentage of backlog, remained in ‘elevated’ territory, but was an improvement from the 2.3% rate recorded in March. Like last month, high cancellations were reported in most segments, meaning the situation was broad-based.”
Orders Outpace the Norm
“Net orders have outpaced build for three of the four months in 2026,” McNealy said. “In April, nearly 2.3k more trailers were ordered than built, growing the backlog by more than 3% m/m. However, this was not enough to pump much lifeblood into the anemic backlogs. YTD, backlogs contracted more than 13% compared to the first trimester of 2025.”
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.
