Shipments of truck trailers in 1999 totaled 275,366, almost 20% below the record 343,865 shipped in 1998, according to figures compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Census and reported by the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association.
However, a leading analyst of the trailer industry who collects data directly from manufacturers says otherwise.
Peter Toja, president of Economic Planning Associates, a consulting firm in Smithtown, N.Y., said his calculations put the 1999 year-end total at 301,840, which is 7.7% above his tally of 280,350 in 1998.
Toja’s figures would reflect two consecutive record years for trailer shipments. Unlike truck manufacturers, who report sales numbers, the trailer sector relies on the number of “shipments” to dealers and customers to gauge industry activity. The previous record, by general agreement, was 279,414 trailers shipped in 1995.
TTMA is projecting that the 1999 figure will fall slightly behind 1995.
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