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May 11, 2000 9:25 AM, EDT

New trailer shipments in February totaled 23,212, a somewhat perkier 132 units more than the same month in 1999. The two-month total of 45,314 for 2000, however, was 1.8% below the 46,123 posted in 1999.

Shipments of trailer are a surrogate for sales numbers and are reported by the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association. The numbers, which are preliminary and subject to revision, are developed by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Typically, van trailers posted the largest shipment number for February, at 17,167, pushing the cumulative total to 33,674 so far this year. However, their February total was below the 18,342 shipped in February 1999 by 6.4%, and their cumulative total was down 7.9% from that posted for the first two months of 1999.

The reduction in shipments tracks with most industry forecasts, which have suggested that movement in 2000 will fall off the record pace of the past few years.

For the full story, see the May 8 print edition of Transport Topics. .