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Production of trailers in the United States is set to decline for five consecutive quarters before increasing in the final three months of 2024, according to one expert.

Mexican truck parts and trailer specialist Fultra bought trailer manufacturer East Manufacturing, the companies said.

Trailer manufacturer Wabash National posted a 6.8% increase in net sales in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. 

The new leader of Hyundai Translead said that while the trailer market was softer through the first half of this year compared with year-ago levels, he sees pockets of strength heading into 2024.

U.S. trailer orders more than halved in May compared with a year ago to an estimated 9,100 units, according to data released by ACT Research.

Hinton Transportation Investments Inc. (HTI) acquired Chicago-based U.S. Trailer Parts & Supply Inc., a distributor of heavy-duty trailer parts, it said June 6.

U.S. trailer orders dropped by nearly half from the year-ago total to an estimated 10,000 units in April, ACT Research reported.

Some carriers are using technology designed to help prevent drivers from picking up the wrong trailer, and some telematics vendors are developing tractor-trailer pairing capability.

U.S. trailer orders in January decreased 9% year-over-year to 24,300 from 26,595 a year earlier, reported ACT Research. This comes a month after net trailer orders reached their second-highest level on record at 57,300. Also, orders dropped 58% from near-record results the prior month.

Amid a challenging landscape of supply chain issues, manufacturers are extending the lives of trailers using products such as composite materials and galvanized elements.