A drop of more than 10% in van trailer shipments was the main factor in a 5.3% drop in overall trailer shipments during the first seven months of the year.
Complete trailers and chassis shipped so far this year total 154,564, compared with 163,293 in 1999.
Vans shipped in the seven-month period totaled 115,529, down 10.7% from the 129,355 shipped in the first seven months of 1999.
The Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association reports trailer shipment figures that are compiled by the Bureau of Census as a surrogate for trailer sales, which are not available.
For the full story, see the Sept. 25 print edition of Transport Topics. .
