BLOOMINGTON, IN — Net U.S. trailer orders in March were up 50% over last year even if they were down 20% from February — and reached 20,500 units overall, FTR reports.

The month-to-month drop in dry and refrigerated van orders is part of a typical seasonal decline, the analysts add. Trailer orders reached 246,000 in the last 12 months.

“The trailer market had a great production month. The [Original Equipment Manufacturers] finally started to increase build rates due to the strong orders of the past four months,” said Don Ake, vice president – commercial vehicles. “Builds jumped an impressive 9% on a per-day level over February. Production was basically equal to last month, which is a great sign moving into the seasonally strong second quarter.”

“The additional good news is the trailer vocational segments are showing some signs of life. Flatbed production was up considerably, as were dump trailers. The tanker segments are also moving in the right direction. These vocational segments continue to track closely with Class 8 trucks, which are also on the upswing. Fleets are growing much more optimistic about the business environment and they are buying more trailers again after a slump the second half of last year,” he said.