Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Dec. 30, 2022:
Net trailer orders continued to soar in November with 39,950 units booked during the month, according to data compiled by ACT Research.
Following the October order bonanza, ACT Research Director of Commercial Vehicle Market Research & Publications Jennifer McNealy said a slowdown in November was expected even as more build slots become available.
"Discussions across the past month continue to indicate more OEMs are expanding the availability of 2023 build slots, but 2023 is not yet fully open," McNealy said. "Supply-chain concerns still linger, so OEMs are hesitant to overpromise and underdeliver for the second half of 2023, where visibility is limited."
Even still, McNealy said that nearly as soon as a build slot is available there is a fleet ready to fill it with an order, adding the backlog stands at about 7.9 months.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an exemption to the state of Alaska to allow the state to waive specified portions of the CDL skills test for drivers in 14 defined geographical areas that lack infrastructure to allow completion of the full skills test.
