Specialty trailer equipment got a boost in October as overall orders rose, but dry and refrigerated vans didn’t keep pace.
Wabash’s reorganization is continuing to pay off as service revenue rises as trailer sales fall amid improved profits.
After originally working with TuSimple, Loadsmith picks Kodiak Robotics for autonomous driving systems.
As Wabash National streamlines its business, the trailer manufacturer will convert reefer capacity to add 10,000 dry vans in 2023.
Look behind soft June trailer orders for the real story of what’s happening in a constrained equipment market.
Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter where FreightWaves adds context, commentary and color to industry news and trends.
Consumer goods demand, recovery in manufacturing and shortage of drivers combine to create profits that fleets spend to upgrade and expand truck capacity.
Orders for new trailers dipped in November but the total bookings in the last three months are still the second highest in industry history.
Concern over the supply chain for wood and aluminum components to build new trailers adds to consumer goods-driven demand that pushed equipment orders over 50,000 for a second straight month in October.
Wabash National saw a 37% surge in its backlog of trailers to build from the second to the third quarter as record orders piled in. Third-quarter margins declined but the trailer and last-mile equipment builder was profitable.
The continuing rebound in trailer orders is in line with three-year high in spot freight rates as consumers buy more goods than services.
Trailer orders move up and down but the overall industry is ending a decade of growth that is just beginning to slow.
Hyundai Translead, the largest producer of truck trailers in North America, is recalling 34,960 dry vans because the beam clip of the air hose spring assembly may detach from the trailer, allowing the air hoses to drag on the ground. An air leak and the increased possibility of a crash could result.
