New trailers are coming off production now from XTRA Lease, a St. Louis, Mo. based provider of semi-trailer rentals and leases, which has ordered approximately 4,000 new trailers for 2020.
With the industry and economy suffering an unrivaled dip due to COVID-19, XTRA Lease is still adding a mix of dry vans and reefers to its fleet. New trailers will arrive at each of the company’s nearly 50 rental locations throughout the year.
XTRA Lease’s 2020 purchase includes a mix of:
- 53-foot dry vans
- 53-, 48- and 28-foot liftgate vans
- A select set of 53-foot reefers, and 53- and 48-foot liftgate reefers
All vans and reefers will have fuel-saving aerodynamic side skirts, low rolling-resistance tires and trailer tracking units to help fleets improve utilization and lower costs. Each dry van will also be equipped with a cargo sensor.
“There’s tremendous uncertainty in the industry and economy right now,” said Bill Franz, XTRA Lease president and CEO. “Many fleets have cut new production plans because of question marks about the future caused by the coronavirus. Renting or leasing equipment, however, gives fleets an opportunity to operate new trailers, even while their own orders are on hold for now.”
This comes after April's report from FTR Transportation Intelligence that preliminary net trailer orders for April sunk to the lowest level in the modern era (since 1990), coming in at just 300 units. April order activity was down 95% compared to February and down 98% year-over-year. Trailer orders for the past 12 months now total 162,000 units.
“XTRA Lease regularly refreshes its fleet every year to keep our fleet young, and we’re pleased we can continue to do so in 2020,” Franz added. “This year, we believe our new trailers will be particularly helpful to companies who aren’t in a position to buy, but still need reliable trailers.”
