COLUMBUS, Ind. — At 13,500 units, preliminary net trailer orders in June orders were down about 7,300 units from May, a 35% month-to-month decrease, and 1,300 units lower than June 2025, down nearly 9%.
“After several months with net orders behaving counter to historical patterns, the seasonal slowing of orders arrived with the June data,” said Jennifer McNealy, director CV market research & publications at ACT Research. “Typically, March starts the seasonal slowing of orders, as fleets have made their decisions for current-year needs and OEMs start to build down the backlog. June traditionally marks the third weakest order month of the annual order cycle. That said, this year’s cycle has been anything but ordinary: the order upticks that should have started in September or October of last year didn’t actually begin until December. The atypical strength in orders in April and May reflects improving trucking fundamentals, buttressed by rising freight rates.”
Seasonal adjustment (SA) at this point in the annual order cycle takes the month’s volume to 19,200 units. Final June trailer industry data will be available later this month. This preliminary order estimate is typically within ±5% of the final order tally.
“Regardless of the timing, the order upticks certainly were welcome, but were premature in terms of 2027 order timing and the opening by OEMs of next year’s calendars,” McNealy said. “Additionally, caution remains a strategy for some trailer purchasers. Rates are rising now, but the past few years have been hard for carriers, and now the challenges of strong pent-up demand and the risks of higher maintenance costs and downtime to repair rather than purchase new equipment remain as counter-weights to their decision-making process.”
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.
