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28 2025 outlook: Who knows? Tariff talks add uncertainty to long-hoped-for rebound
30 Wabash sees 2024 as ‘foundation’ for future Q4 report touts 'resilience' in wrapping up 2024
32 EV push dims with new administration Trump looks to pull the plug on mandates, incentives
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Utility Trailer dealer groups consolidate
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company dealers across the country are merging, rebranding, and expanding, according to several recent announcements.
Utility Trailer Sales of Utah and Utility Trailer Sales of Idaho recently merged their groups. The strategic move consolidates operations from locations in Salt Lake City and St. George, Utah; and Las Vegas, Nevada; with facilities in Boise and Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Spokane, Washington; Utility reported. The new entity will operate under the name Mountain West Utility Trailer and be spearheaded by Justin Deputy as president and CEO, alongside his brother, Spencer Deputy, who will serve as chief sales officer.
Both Justin and Spencer are majority shareholders in the new company.
“Combining forces with our neighbors to the North allows us to better serve our customer base,” Spencer said in a news release. “The Idaho and Washington operations provide us with a high level of TRU [transport refrigeration unit] expertise, which will enhance our ability to serve our customers with our full line of Cargobull TRUs.”
Added Justin: “This is only the beginning of our expansion program. In the coming months, we will be upgrading facilities, expanding and updating our fleet of mobile trucks, increasing our trailer inventory, and onboarding more technicians to ensure we take care of our growing customer base.”
Utility Trailer Sales of Idaho has a rich history, having been operated by the Kilkenny family for two generations. Jack Kilkenny led the business for 35 years before passing the torch to his son, Sean Kilkenny, who has served as the company’s president for 28 years. Sean will now transition to a consulting role for Mountain West Utility Trailer.
“It has been a great pleasure to work with Sean Kilkenny all these years,” said Steve Bennett, Utility Trailer president and COO. “He and his team have done a fantastic job in their market area. He has placed the company in good hands with the Deputy family.
“We all wish Sean the very best with his retirement.”
STS Trailer, Truck, and Equipment is now operating in New York as STS Truck & Utility Trailer Sales of New York.
“While our name has evolved, our commitment to providing top-tier service and equipment solutions remains unchanged,” the company announcement stated. “With this transition, we aim to showcase our dedication to quality and innovation, offering you the best in trailer, truck, and equipment sales and service.”
Under the same ownership, this co-branding “reflects pride” in representing the Utility Trailer Manufacturing brand, STS added.
With this transition, the company aims to showcase its dedication to quality and innovation, and offering customers the best in trailer, truck, and equipment sales and service.
Upstate New York. STS carries a complete line of tractor-trailers, heavy- and light-duty truck equipment, Kalmar Ottawa Yard Trucks, plus an expansive selection of parts inventory for fleets.
STS has branches in Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany, and is now serving Selinsgrove, PA.
Utility Trailer of California recently acquired TNT Trailer Sales in Troutdale, Oregon.
The newly acquired dealer will operate under the name Pacific Coast Utility Trailer, Utility Trailer Manufacturing reported. Allan Brown will remain with the company as vice president of operations and general manager, and his business partner, Chris McMullin, will serve as director of business development.
“We are thrilled to welcome Allan Brown and his skilled team to our family,” Cory Pasek, Utility Trailer of California president, stated in a news release. “Their expertise in trailer and TRU [transport refrigeration unit] parts, service, and sales is invaluable.”
Pacific Coast Utility Trailer, located outside Portland, boasts a team of 12 certified technicians who are proficient in servicing all Utility Trailer models. The company also is in the process of obtaining certification for TRU mechanics for various brands, including Cargobull, and expanding its mobile repair fleet to offer comprehensive trailer and TRU services at customer locations.
STS Trailer, Truck, and Equipment was founded in 1949. It is a family-owned and operated company with full sales, service, and parts facilities across
“Our team is eager to work with Utility Trailer of California and leverage their extensive resources,” Brown said.
“We are committed to continuously providing exceptional service to our customers,” he concluded.
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Great Dane has launched truck body production at the Great Dane manufacturing facility in Danville, Pennsylvania, “a pivotal moment” in the company’s strategic growth plan and “long-term vision” for expanding its truck body production.
“These first truck bodies coming off the line in Danville mark a significant milestone in Great Dane’s ongoing growth, demonstrating our commitment to meeting the rising demand for high-quality truck bodies,” said Rob Ulsh, VP of dealer and international sales. “It also builds upon our existing strong relationships within the truck body industry, where fleets that require durable truck bodies trust our people and our products.”
Great Dane’s truck body expansion aligns with the company’s broader vision to enhance operational efficiency, increase regional market presence, and solidify its reputation for quality and innovation in the truck body sector, according to one of the leading U.S. highway trailer manufacturers.
“We’re thrilled to see the expansion of our truck body offering in Danville,” said Mayo Rude, Great Dane’s truck body director.
“This is an important step in our long-term vision, and we’re excited to bring our products and services to more customers in this region.”
Great Dane Danville has won multiple awards from the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) for plant safety. The
workforce in Danville ensures the company can scale operations to meet the demand for truck bodies, Great Dane noted.
“Our teams are second to none, and I’m proud of this new milestone, fostered by strong customer relationships and a commitment to excellence. Our truck bodies are built with Great Dane’s proven trailer technology and customizations, offering the safety, efficiency, and high quality that our customers need and deserve,” said Rick Mullininx, president and COO of Great Dane.
Demountable Concepts becomes Victory Truck Body
Demountable Concepts has rebranded as Victory Truck Body Inc., the company reported on Jan. 23. The name change, including a new website, is the result of the launch of a new line of standard truck bodies created by Demountable to fulfill a predicted uptick in North American demand, and to better communicate their “can do” attitude to customers, according to the news release.
The new product line also aims to let Victory better showcase the value demountable swap body systems bring to delivery fleets.
The philosophy driving Victory’s rebrand is founded on three guiding principles: focus on customer, build a superior product, and deliver customers’ truck bodies on schedule, the company stated in a release.
Victory currently offers four models of straight truck bodies to the North American market: dry van, curtain-side,
flatbed/platform, and refrigerated/ climate-controlled. Each is available as a standard fixed body or with the company’s efficient Demountable swap body system.
Notable features of the Victory dry van truck body include composite panel construction for durability and an optional smooth “rivet-less” surface for mounting graphics, a stainless rear frame with engineered corner gussets for structural integrity, a standard composite roll-up rear door, and distinctive cast-aluminum front corner caps. Liftgates, ramps, cargo control, and other popular options, including swap body, can be configured to meet specific needs.
Victory Truck Body currently operates out of a 50,000 sq.-ft. facility in Glassboro, New Jersey. The building is equipped with modern fabrication equipment including robot welding, CNC laser cutters, press brakes, shear, and overhead cranes. The facility’s paint booth can
also accommodate multiple trucks.
Victory has started construction on an additional 65,000 sq.-ft. facility for a total of 115,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing capacity, the company added.
“We’re excited to bring our Victory line of straight truck bodies to the North American market,” Founder and CEO Rustin Cassway said. “It provides customers an additional resource for truck bodies and lets us better showcase our demountable swap body systems and their value to delivery fleets. We’re on a mission to provide best-in-class truck bodies, delivered on schedule, with superior service.”
MyGlassTruck and DCI Fleet are divisions of Victory Truck Body.
Victory Truck Body
Stoughton Rental and Leasing opens new location in Memphis
Stoughton Rental and Leasing Company, also known as Stoughton Lease, is opening its new location in Memphis, Tennessee. The latest addition to the network is the company’s tenth location in the U.S.
“We are excited to open this location in one of the most important transportation corridors in America,” stated Bob Espich, president of Stoughton Lease, in a press release. “We look forward to offering customized rental and leasing programs designed with the unique needs of area fleets in mind.”
Both dry van and refrigerated trailers are available for rent and lease at the new facility. The rental trailers are available with flexible contracts or custom leasing options and come complete with value-added services. These services include maintenance plans and roadside assistance. Trailer tracking and CARB compliant aerodynamic TopKits are standard on the Stoughton Rental and Lease fleet as well.
The new location, located at 5623 Malone Road, Memphis, Tennessee, 38118, can be reached by calling 901-738-5852 or 901-410-9103. Branch employees can also be reached via email.
Hendrickson invests in large solar farm
Hendrickson is making a “significant” investment in solar energy, building a solar farm in Joliet, Illinois, to power its bumper plant, which produces over 100,000 bumpers per year for major Class 8 truck OEMs.
The solar farm will include over 2,100 solar panels and produce an estimated 1.58 MW annually, enough to power the plant and provide excess electricity back to the grid, Hendrickson said. Construction is expected to be completed by mid-2025 and fully operational before the end of the year.
“This investment complements Hendrickson’s ongoing sustainability program as we continue our commitment to producing highly engineered, high-quality components and systems while reducing the impact on the environment,” Matt Joy, Hendrickson president and CEO, said in a news release. Hendrickson’s customers have endorsed its efforts. David Carson, SVP of sales and marketing for DNTA, said: “Daimler Truck applauds Hendrickson’s investment in a solar farm for their bumper plant. Daimler has a long-standing commitment to sustainability, and partners like Hendrickson are crucial to our industry.”
Hendrickson
Stoughton Lease
US Army ups order for Mack dumps
The U.S. military recently ordered 103 Mack Defense M917A3 heavy dump trucks.
The additional vehicles are part of the previously announced firm-fixed-price $296 million contract for over seven years that the Army awarded Mack Defense in 2018, which allows for up to 683 trucks. For this new order, 74 HDTs will be purchased from the presidential budget and 29 by the National Guard.
The HDTs play a role in the construction and upkeep of infrastructure assets, including airfields, roadways, landing strips, supply facilities, and motor pools.
“Our military continues to field Mack HDTs into various operations around the world, so these vehicles have been put to the test and continue to meet demanding requirements,” Dave Hartzell, president of Mack Defense, said. “For that reason, the Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard continue to invest in these modern HDTs to ensure our soldiers have the right truck with the highest level of capabilities needed to ensure mission success.”
The Army previously ordered 446 HDTs, which are based on the commercially available Mack Granite model but spec’d with heavier-duty rear axles, all-wheel drive, increased suspension ride height, and other features to meet the requirements of the U.S. military.
The Mack Granite HDT model features ABS, modern control interfaces for user-friendly operation, and active safety systems. These modern features and improved sustainability were key factors in the Army’s investment in these new HDTs, according to Hartzell. Both the Mack Granite-based HDTs and the production line at the Mack Experience Center (MEC) in Allentown, Pennsylvania, have undergone inspection by government-quality auditors to ensure these trucks exceed expectations.
The MEC began producing HDTs in Q1 2021, following an investment of $6.5 million to create a dedicated HDT production line. The production line helps fulfill the M917A3 contract while allowing Mack Defense to produce other vehicle variants.
Kevin Jones
SAF-Holland rebrands remanufactured parts unit
SAF-Holland is rebranding its remanufactured parts business as Haldex REMAN as it invests more time and energy into this sector of its business, growing the portfolio overall. This move comes in an effort to decrease confusion for customers, especially after the company acquired Haldex in March, 2023, the company said.
“Haldex is expanding its remanufactured product portfolio to respond to the rising demands in this segment as the number of older vehicles in the market increases,” said Brent Dinger, REMAN product manager.
Originally known as Like Nu, which Will Walls, SAF-Holland director of product management, aftermarket, noted did not resonate with customers, the company’s REMAN business only encompassed 16% of sales in 2023.
The unit includes remanufacturing for air compressors, control valves, air dryers, water pumps, air disc brake calipers, hydraulic calipers, and power steering, all of which the company will be investing in over the next year. Part of this investment includes dedicating SAFHolland’s Marion, North Carolina facility solely to Haldex REMAN products, Dinger noted.
“What’s really neat about the Marion, North Carolina facility is that it gives us an advantage in the remanufacturing space, because they do all of our remanufacturing but they also are doing a lot of our specialty OEM products,” Dinger explained. “So, the guys that are
doing the OEM products are also the guys that are doing remanufacturing. They’re following the same processes, the same specs.”
At the company’s Marion location, remanufactured parts will be tested and certified to like-new quality, with consistent
processes in a controlled environment, according to the news release. These brands will feature environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes to reduce GHG emissions and waste while still providing original performance specs, Dinger concluded.
SAF-Holland
Allegiance Trucks inks deal with McNeilus
Allegiance Trucks has signed its exclusive dealership agreement with McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation business and manufacturer of refuse and recycling collection vehicles. This partnership is designed to solidify Allegiance’s presence as the premier provider of critical infrastructure solutions for the Northeastern United States.
As part of this collaboration, Allegiance will represent McNeilus products in an exclusive territory covering Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The company’s newly established headquarters for this operation, located in Walpole, Massachusetts, will serve as the central hub for Allegiance Refuse Systems and Allegiance Fire and Rescue, both divisions of the Allegiance Specialty Vehicles group.
Through this partnership, Allegiance will offer customers McNeilus’ cutting-edge refuse trucks renowned for
their durability, efficiency and advanced technology. These offerings align with Allegiance’s mission to provide customers with innovative solutions that improve efficiency and sustainability. These offerings also strengthen Allegiance’s ability to meet growing demands for sustainable and reliable transportation solutions in waste management.
“We are thrilled to partner with McNeilus to bring their industry-leading refuse vehicles to our customers,” said Mike Bozzoli, CEO of Allegiance Trucks. “McNeilus is renowned for its innovative and reliable products, which
align perfectly with our commitment to providing high-quality solutions that help businesses operate more efficiently and sustainably. This partnership enhances our ability to serve key industries and meet the evolving needs of our customers with cutting-edge technology and exceptional support.”
Allegiance will also provide comprehensive support for the McNeilus product line, including sales, parts and service delivery. Customers can expect access to McNeilus’ refuse vehicle solutions as well as maintenance and support through the Allegiance nationwide service network.
In addition to its new McNeilus offerings, Allegiance Trucks represents several other Oshkosh subsidiaries as well, including Pierce Mfg., a manufacturer of fire apparatus for emergency response teams; Jerr-Dan, a provider of towing and recovery equipment; and Oshkosh Airport Products.
McNeilus
East rebrands to emphasize trailer focus
Premium aluminum trailer builder East Manufacturing LLC has a new name: East Trailers LLC.
This renaming is designed to align the company with its vision to be the best partner for transportation companies. It reflects the company’s steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality, innovative aluminum and steel trailers and aftermarket parts—all designed to meet the ever-changing needs of its customers, according to the East announcement.
This shift underscores the company’s vision to prioritize its customers in every aspect of its business, from product design, manufacturing and support to aftermarket parts and service.
“The transition to East Trailers LLC marks an exciting new chapter in our journey,” said Tom Wiseman, president of East Trailers LLC. “This change reflects our unwavering commitment to providing the highest quality trailers for both the on-highway and vocational trucking markets. It also solidifies our vision to place customers and partners at the center of everything we do. We look forward to continuing to drive success together under our new name.”
The name change also highlights a streamlined identity, focusing on the company’s core product line—trailers— and reinforcing its dedication to being an integrated solutions provider and a reliable partner for the trucking industry, the East release stated. With this transition, East renews its focus on enhancing customer relationships and fostering innovation to address the challenges faced by the transportation industry.
While the name has evolved, Wiseman emphasized that East’s dedication to innovation, superior craftsmanship and exceptional service remains stronger than ever.
Along with the name change, East has renamed its website URL to www.East-Trailers.com. The East logo will remain unchanged with the new East Trailers LLC name.
Leer Group provides new online tools for dealers and ambassadors
The Leer Group, manufacturer of fiberglass and aluminum truck caps and tonneaus in North America, will now be using both Promoboxx and Social Ladder to provide the tools needed for customers to collaborate, maximize reach, and benefit from branded social media content and ambassadors.
Promoboxx provides dealers with the ability to amplify and automate content developed by Leer Group to make the most of social media and populate their Facebook, Instagram, email templates and more. By signing up, dealers can automatically use this content to engage their customers or customize their posts to fit their specific needs.
Promoboxx also enables dealers to run successful social media campaigns with
regularly updated content and uniform brand messaging to reach a broad audience and drive traffic to their retail stores. The platform offers a user-friendly interface as well as a support team to answer any questions customers may have.
Leer Group has also selected Social Ladder to manage its ambassador/ influencer program, beginning in early 2025. Social Ladder will help the Leer Group streamline communications, task requests, track engagement, audience shares, effectiveness, accountability, and payment. Additionally, the company will simplify communications and encourage high-quality, influential organic content, while also providing Leer Group with reporting capabilities so that they can track their revenue and ROI.
Clarience Technologies acquires Ranger Design
Clarience Technologies has acquired Ranger Design, adding the work vehicle upfitter to its commercial vehicle brands.
“This acquisition aligns with our vision to provide visionary technology for all transportation, to help make the world safer and create superior value for our customers and the communities we serve,” stated Brian Kupchella, CEO of Clarience Technologies.
The other brands Clarience Technologies owns that serve the commercial vehicle sector include:
• Truck-Lite
• Safe Fleet
• Pressure Systems International
• DAVCO
• Prime Design
• American Van
• ECCO
• Rear View Safety
“Joining Clarience Technologies is a significant milestone for Ranger Design,” said Ron Cowie, CEO of Ranger Design. “This partnership will allow us to leverage combined resources and expertise to better serve our customers. Together, we will continue to innovate and provide the highest quality upfit solutions that meet the evolving needs of the industry.”
Leer Group
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for a
but it’s very slow—and it’s anticipated to be a slow uptick, not a skyrocket, not a flip-of-the-switch situation,” Jennifer McNealey, ACT Research director — CV market research and publications, told TBB. “The question is, when can we look towards some normalcy? When can we return to the trends we would expect to see, without that pop and drop and drop and pop of the last few years?
“We’re looking at improvements, possibly by the end of this year, certainly going into 2026 and then 2027. So the leveling out should happen over the next couple of years.”
The trailer totals reported here cannot be compared directly with other domestic surveys that do not include Canadian and Mexican trailer plants.
This survey does not attempt to report on the many small trailer manufacturing plants scattered throughout North America, so the total trailer build is somewhat larger than the Top 25 numbers reported here.
The trailer build in 2024 lived down to low expectations, but the worst is over ... right?
By Kevin Jones
Truck-trailer manufacturers in 2024 saw production totals fall, as expected, from the near-record levels of 2022-2023 as the freight recession lingered and backlogs dwindled.
Still, the lessons picked up in managing through supply chain and labor challenges over the past two or three years made for smarter management and improved processes, as respondents noted in replying to the annual survey.
Additionally, uncertainty around the U.S. elections kept transportation equipment buyers largely on the sidelines through the fall and into the new year.
Looking ahead at the rest of 2025, newly launched tariffs on steel and aluminum, as well as the Trump administration’s push for broad tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada and additional levies on goods from China, have added uncertainty to a cautiously optimistic outlook for trailer manufacturers.
“We’ve seen some improvement in the freight demand and in freight rates,
This Trailer/Body BUILDERS survey is made by contacting a member of the management team at each manufacturing company. The ranking of the companies does not necessarily reflect their relative success in terms of profitability or revenue received, but only the number of trailers produced. The dollar value of a trailer can vary greatly depending on the design, type of construction, materials used and quality level.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: In 2021, a group of domestic intermodal chassis manufacturers successfully argued before the United States International Trade Commission that China was engaged in unfair trade practices regarding their chassis business in the U.S. As a result of tariffs imposed on Chinese chassis, domestic chassis production soared in 2022. However, for many years the TBB survey did not include intermodal chassis in the production total, so the numbers shifted somewhat once the chassis were added here, beginning with the 2022 report.]
Below is how the individual trailer manufacturers reported their trailer production for 2024:
Hyundai Translead of San Diego, California, produced 56,088 units in
2024 (including 2,945 chassis and 818 dollies), down 32%.
Trailers are built at the company’s plants in Mexico.
“Despite decreased trailer demand and market adjustments in 2024, Hyundai Translead successfully navigated the year while celebrating our 35th anniversary and continuing to support customer needs,” CEO Sean Kenney said. “While there are still challenges and uncertainties for 2025, we remain committed to our customers with emphasis on product expansion and further investments in customer experience.”
Great Dane built approximately 36,000 trailers in 2023, down 12% from the previous year. The company also built over 1,500 truck bodies. Great Dane commemorates its 125th anniversary in 2025.
“2024 was a tough year for our customers as they dealt with a difficult rate environment as truck tonnage and manufacturing data showed a weak environment. As we enter 2025 we continue to see fairly weak indicators but are glad to see the manufacturing index move to positive territory to start the year,” Chris Hammond, EVP of sales for Great Dane, said. “I suspect the industry will drag along for a bit while the new administration gets their agenda in place. As more certainty returns to the markets, I think we’ll see expansion yet this year.
“The industry still needs to work through the trailers that are in the systems. As well, we will look for the aftermarket to help tell us when fleets are putting more units on the road as they have held on to cash and it shows up in the aftermarket data.”
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and with additional corporate offices in Savannah, Georgia, Great Dane has manufacturing plants strategically located throughout the United States.
Wabash shipped 32,100 new trailers in 2024, a 27% decrease compared to the year before.
Wabash also shipped 14,255 truck bodies, not counted in the rankings. A “more diversified portfolio” helped Wabash manage the cyclical downturn
in the dry van market, President and Chief Executive Officer Brent Yeagy said in a conference call with investment analysts. (See Page 30 for complete coverage.)
Yeagy cited rising parts and services revenue and a series of new joint ventures and partnerships put together in 2024 as forming the “foundation for scalable growth” going forward.
Headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, Wabash designs, manufactures, and services a diverse range of products, including: dry freight and refrigerated trailers, flatbed trailers, tank trailers, dry
and refrigerated truck bodies, structural composite panels and products, trailer aerodynamic solutions, and specialty food grade processing equipment.
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. produced a total of 33,702 trailers in 2024, down 31% from 2023. Of those, 20,166 were refrigerated trailers, 11,679 were dry van trailers, and 1,277 were flatbed trailers, reported Utility President and COO Steve Bennett.
Utility has six trailer manufacturing facilities. Multi-temp refrigerated trailers are built in Atkins, Virginia; Clearfield,
Top 25 + 1 North American Truck-Trailer OEMs
MARKET DATA | Trailer Output Report
Utah, and Eagle Pass, Texas/Piedras Negras, Mexico. Dry vans are manufactured at the Glade Springs, Virginia, and Paragould, Arkansas, plants. Straight deck and drop deck flatbeds are built in the Enterprise, Alabama, plant.
Stoughton Trailers produced a total of 15,000 units, a combination of dry vans, refrigerated vans, grain trailers, dollies, and intermodal container chassis in 2024.
The decline in total output was a “direct result of the free-falling market demand” for chassis over the last two years, the company reported.
To adjust for the changing market, Stoughton “right sized” dry van production across its facilities. On a positive note, the company reported an increased market share for dry van net orders for the second consecutive year.
Regarding refrigerated trailers, Stoughton’s continued investments fueled a healthy increase in its production rate and market share.
“Last year, we significantly increased our component fabrication capacity by installing even more robotic and autonomous equipment. Our investments in automation will increase our ramp speed as the market recovers,” said President and CEO Bob Wahlin. “We believe that 2025 will yield a much higher production output based on the large increase in quote activity and orders received in the last 90 days.”
MAC Trailer Enterprises Inc. built 5,640 trailers in 2024.
“We started to taper off, probably mid-August 2024 and up to that point backlog was still pretty good,” said Bill McKenzie, president of sales at MAC Trailer. “The signs were there—we saw it. And then we had the election on top of that. And once that got sorted out, things started to really turn. It looks like there’s light at the end of the tunnel going forward.”
Regarding tariffs, MAC relies on U.S.based suppliers, McKenzie noted, but he can’t be sure the vendors’ supply chains won’t be impacted. “Everybody’s concerned right now,” he said.
EnTrans produced 7,348 trailer units, reflecting about a 15% reduction from 2023, reported Jake Radish, SVP and CCO, Engineered Transportation International.
The decline was primarily driven by shifts in market demand and overall reductions in certain sectors.
“Despite these headwinds, we remained committed to operational efficiency, product quality, and strengthening key customer relationships while continuing to diversify our offerings,” Radish said. “Looking ahead to 2025, we anticipate a more stable market with renewed opportunities in specialized transport segments. Our focus remains on innovation, including lightweight designs, sustainability initiatives, and advanced technology integration to better serve our customers.”
The company is comprised of Heil Trailer, Polar Tank Trailer, JARCO, and Kalyn Siebert.
Fruehauf North America produced 5,150 units in 2024, a 27% decrease from 2023.
“From Fruehauf’s perspective, the 2025 dry van market offers strong longterm potential despite near-term challenges,” said Fruehauf Inc. President Tom Wiseman. “While production declined in 2024, increasing backlogs and an expected recovery in the second half of 2025 signal improving conditions. Fruehauf is well-positioned to meet growing fleet replacement demand as freight activity strengthens.
“However, the recently announced tariffs introduce some uncertainty, with potential cost increases and supply chain disruptions that could pressure margins. We remain focused on operational efficiency, strategic sourcing, and working closely with our partners to mitigate these impacts and continue delivering value to our customers.”
XPO in Searcy, Ark., delivered 4,900 units in 2024, a 26% decrease from the year before.
This includes equipment ranging from 28’, 48’, 53’ trailers, dollies and
straight trucks., according to Paul Reed, manufacturing senior director.
Timpte Inc. in David City, Nebraska, built 4,700 hopper trailers for hauling grain and other bulk materials in 2024, a decrease of 7% from 2023.
“In terms of our semi-trailer business, we’re certainly predicting the market to be down in 2025,” President and CEO Tim Carpenter said. “We’ve seen in 2024 that the overall Polk registration certainly came down quite a bit. And we think 2025 is going to end up somewhere for us in the 4000-unit range.”
Timpte also has expanded its product lines and production in lighter-duty equipment. Construction is almost complete on a new 200,000 sq. ft. facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, to support new product initiatives and the aftermarket business.
“We’ve got a couple of new models that we’re going to launch here in the next 12 to 18 months that’ll kind of finish out where we want to be from a product portfolio standpoint,” Carpenter said. “Overall, it’s going really well.”
Fontaine Trailer Co. manufactured 3,866 trailers in 2024, the Alabamabased platform specialist reported.
Fontaine Trailer President Alan Briley likened the 2024 downturn to the 2016 and 2020 cycles, characterizing the year as “a significant correction” and a “natural softening” for the flatbed market during a manufacturing lull.
“There was a decent amount of inventory on the ground that needed to be burned through—not just for Fontaine but, for the industry as a whole,” Briley said. “We contraction actually start mid2023 but it didn’t show itself until 2024 because we had such a backlog. This was really 20- or 22-month cycle correction, and we’re hopefully nearing the end.”
Indeed, Briley reported an upswing in quote activity “that we’ve not seen in over two years,” following the business uncertainty ahead of the November elections in the U.S.
And while the Trump administration’s tariff strategy had yet to slow those orders, the timing of the steel and
MARKET DATA | Trailer Output Report
aluminum tariffs announced Feb. 10 “couldn’t be worse.”
“I’m not ready to say that it’s going to derail the momentum, but it is certainly going to cause the cost of equipment to go up—and that’s coming from a company that really doesn’t buy anything out of Mexico or Canada,” Briley said. “In similar situations, with tires and other things that come from outside the country and get tariffs, the domestic suppliers are going to raise prices to match.”
While the post-pandemic supply chain challenges eased in 2024, Briley suggested problems could reemerge with renewed demand.
“For most of our vendors, probably most of our competitors, and for Fontaine as well, our biggest challenge is labor, and nobody’s really addressed it,” he said. “I don’t expect it to be as easy to get components—and therefore to build trailers—as it has been over the last year and a half.”
Finally, changes in tax law are impacting trailer dealers. With the cost of capital already high, being taxed on floor plan inventory will be a challenge for the industry, he suggested.
“Our largest dealers have been very averse to placing large stock orders, and that’s very different than what we’ve seen in previous corrections,” Briley said.
Founded in 1945, Fontaine Trailer is a Marmon | Berkshire Hathaway company.
Reitnouer Inc. in Birdsboro, Pa., built 3,846 trailers in 2024, an 11% decrease from 2023.
A stable supply chain in 2024 put the company on pace to match the previous year’s production total—but a slowdown for November and December resulted in reduced output, Bud Reitnouer, company president, reported.
“The election always has an impact on your business [in the] short term,” Reitnouer said. “But this one was really big, because in people’s minds, for the business owners, who won was going to make a difference on what they were going to do for this year. So the orders are just starting to come in. The industry overall should be slightly better because of the pro-business policies.
We expect a good year, not a great year, going forward.”
Strick Trailers/Cheetah Chassis built 2,250 trailers in 2024, a 60% decrease from the year before.
This includes 1,400 chassis, 1,100 dry freight vans, and 50 logging and flatbed trailers. The company also built 300 dollies and 125 truck bodies, not included in the trailer total.
“For dry vans, we saw demand decrease in 2024, especially as the year progressed. We continue to focus on diversifying the product mix at our Monroe facility and increased production of both truck bodies and dollies in 2024,” said Ben Katz, VP of sales. “We are expecting 2025 to be a challenging year in regards to dry van sales industry-wide. Since we are relatively small, we are hoping to be able to keep our production relatively stable in a down market.
“For chassis, we found that 2024 was a challenging year in regards to sales, which was not unexpected given the boom in chassis demand which lasted into 2023. We expect our chassis production for 2025 to be about where it was in 2024 and are hoping to see demand continue to increase as the year progresses.”
The Strick Group of Companies is made up of Cheetah Chassis Corp, Evans Trailers and Strick Trailers.
East Trailers LLC of Randolph, Ohio, produced 2,077 trailers in 2024 between their dump, flatbed, and refuse product lines, a decline of 24%, Chris Cooler, VP of sales and marketing, reported. Formerly known as East Manufacturing LLC, the company rebranded in 2024.
“East navigated the trying market conditions of 2024, including uncertainties surrounding the Presidential election cycle with both poise and strategic foresight,” Cooler explained. “We did appreciate a nice bump in orders post-election and a continued increase in order activity since.
“Looking forward to 2025, we are optimistic about the trajectory of our growth. We are actively refining our
product portfolio, expanding our reach and optimizing our marketing strategies to capture a broader segment of the market. Specifically, we are placing particular emphasis on the latter half of the year as a critical window for accelerating expansion.
“Our forward-looking strategies include scaling production capabilities, enhancing customer support infrastructure and driving product innovation to meet the evolving demands of an ever-changing marketplace,” Cooler said.
Di-Mond Trailers , based in Stoney Creek, Ontario, built 2,087 trailers in 2024, down 25% from its record year in 2023.
“Due to challenging economic and industry conditions in 2024, Di-mond Trailers was unfortunately not immune to the adverse impacts,” GM Frank Piccolo said. “While this represents a significant decrease, we remain focused on adapting to market conditions and identifying opportunities to support future growth.”
Pitts Trailers-Dorsey Intermodal built 2,055 trailers and chassis in 2024, a 26% decline from the previous year.
“The chassis market was probably off 80%, so we took a big hit on the quantity there—but we were pretty successful in flexing our folks over into our low bed production, in particular,” President JP Pierson said. “We were actually up, on average, across the different product lines of about 30% on low boy production.”
As to 2025 and tariffs, the company buys its steel and aluminum domestically and so doesn’t have direct exposure there. However, as manufacturers shift to U.S. suppliers, those prices will rise with demand, Pierson noted.
“I think it’s a little early to tell, but there’s a lot of optimism in the market,” he said. “There certainly was a tremendous amount after November, and I think there still is some.
“We’re budgeting for a pretty sizable gross revenue increase this year. So we’re optimistic, specifically centered around construction.”
Dorsey Trailer LLC , of Elba, Alabama, built 1,905 flatbeds (steel, combo, and all-aluminum), lowboys, and chip trailers in 2023, which was a 43% decline compared to 2023.
Dorsey President Trey Gary noted that maintaining manufacturing efficiencies at lower production levels was the big challenge in 2024.
“For 2025 the obstacle at the moment is trying to maintain efficiencies and increase production,” Gary said. “We’re seeing a good increase [in orders] at the moment, so how do you ramp it back up as quickly as possible, and as efficiently as well?
“Of course, everybody’s going to be nervous on the tariff piece, the shock of pricing. We’ll have to go back into the market and go to customers with price increases. I hope we don’t have to, but that’s something that’s definitely out there, and you don’t need to shy away or hide from it.”
Premier Trailer Manufacturing Inc., a family-run operation based in Visalia, California, built 1,698 trailers in 2024, a 63% increase from the year before.
“2024 saw Premier Trailer Manufacturing maintain its industry-leading position in the bottom dump, straight hopper, harvest trailer category with a production output of 1,112 units to support the nut and grain industries,” general manager Michael McGinn reported. “In addition, Premier built 348 units of 24’ and 25’ produce flatbeds. Also in 2024, Premier launched new production units into the intermodal chassis segment, building 238 units comprised of 40’ and 53’ container chassis. Proudly, in 2024, Premier Trailer manufactured a total of 1,698 high-quality units as right here in the USA.
“In addition to the new trailer units manufactured in 2024, Premier expanded its involvement within the intermodal segment,” he continued. “We have found that our extensive fabrication and manufacturing experience has allowed us to provide chassis refurbishment services to the industry’s major chassis leasing companies. In 2024, we fully refurbished 392 units consisting of
40’ chassis, 40’/45’ slider chassis, and 20’ slider chassis over a six-month period.
“As we begin 2025, Premier Trailer Manufacturing, Inc. is on pace to continue our ongoing growth trajectory with our new trailer builds, but also significantly increase our refurbishment capabilities to meet current demands,” McGinn concluded.
Felling Trailers Inc. of Sauk Centre, Minn., built 1,533 trailers with a 10K or larger axle in 2024, a 13% increase over the previous year, Nathan Uphus, director of sales, reported. Felling also built 2,820 light-duty trailers.
“In 2024 we experienced a shift in product demand from the previous year’s orders,” Uphus said. “We saw orders for larger product increase, and a decline in light-duty units. In addition to our powder coat paint facility expansion, we’ve benefited from efficiency gains due to plant layout improvements. All of which have helped us to lower our lead-times.
“We’re seeing a strong start to 2025 orders and are continuing to hear a lot of industry optimism.”
Tremcar Inc. built 1,102 tank trailers and 198 tank truck mounts in 2024, with total Tremcar tanks of 1,300, down slightly at 1% from the year before, Melanie Dufresne, director of marketing and communications, reported.
The Quebec-based company expects 2025 to be “pretty good,” Dufresne suggested, and she noted increased production capacity with facilities on both sides of the border. Uncertainty about tariffs, however, is a concern about the impact of potential tariffs.
“We have plants in the U.S. We have plants in Canada. We import and export on both sides,” Dufresne said. “So trying to figure out a game plan right now is pretty complicated, just because we don’t know where we’re headed. If we need to step up production in one plant or another, we’ll adjust. But we just don’t know right now.”
Western Trailer Co. in Boise, Idaho, built 1,166 trailers in 2024, an increase of 12%,
as various key ag markets improved, reported Todd Swanstrom, the company’s director of engineering.
“We had a pretty good year—things seem to come together pretty well,” Swanstrom said. “Our labor force stabilized or solidified, and lead times improved with materials availability. We had great planning and manufacturing leadership, and it just came together.”
Trail King Industries in Mitchell, S.D., built 1,800 truck trailers in 2024, breaking even from the year before. They also built 650 light-duty trailers with axles of less than 10,000-lb capacity, reported CFO Gene Astolfi.
“Stability in the supply chain was evident in 2024,” Astolfi said. “It’s still a struggle to get that skilled workforce that we need. The biggest challenge in 2024 was not having enough workforce to support our customers’ needs.”
Extreme Trailers LLC , in Dover, Ohio, built 868 flatbeds and 303 step decks for a total of 1,171 aluminum trailers in 2024, down 9% from 2023.
“2024 was obviously a challenging year, with all the things that we faced in the market like input costs being high and those type of things,” Les Smith, president and CEO, said. “We’re pretty fortunate to win enough orders to maintain pretty close to status quo on production. We believe the fleets are starting to understand how important tare weight is, and how it helps them in their endeavors.”
Looking at 2025, Smith expects margins to rebound with lower inflation. Production-wise, Extreme is already booked into May, he added.
Kentucky Trailer of Louisville, Ky., built 763 trailers in 2024, a decrease of 23%. The company also built 856 truck bodies.
“2024 was certainly a challenging year, but the bright spot for us was on the truck body side,” David Smith, strategic account manager, said. “We are leveraging trailer plant to increase truck body production. We see this trend continuing in 2025.” TBB
knows Who 2025 outlook:
Tari talks add uncertainty to long-hoped-for freight rebound |
TBy Commercial Vehicle Staff
rade wars and rumors of trade wars have muddied the economic outlook for 2025, making freight market and transportation equipment forecasts all the more challenging, as business analysts explained to Endeavor Business Media over the first few weeks of the new year.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a flood of tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China in early February, but quickly delayed implementation amid bipartisan concern over the tariffs’ potential economic impact. After promising retaliatory tariffs, Canada and Mexico reached separate deals with Trump to postpone their 25% tariffs for 30 days.
The tariffs are bad news for cross-border trucking volumes, equipment prices, and overall freight demand, according to early industry reactions. Businesses that import goods from Canada, Mexico, and China will pay a 10% to 25% levy on the import’s value to satisfy the tariff.
“As the trucking industry recovers from a years-long freight recession marked by low freight volumes, depressed rates, and rising operational costs, we have concern that tariffs could decrease freight volumes and increase
costs for motor carriers at a time when the industry is just beginning to recover,” said Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations. “A 25% tariff levied on Mexico could see the price of a new tractor increase by as much as $35,000. That is cost-prohibitive for many small carriers, and for larger fleets, it would add tens of millions of dollars in annual operating costs.”
Canada, Mexico, and China are the nation’s top three trade partners by value.
Impact on trucking, equipment
With the Mexican and Canadian tariffs, trucking is the most substantially affected transportation market. The
conflict could stall growing cross-border trade with Mexico and Canada as nearshoring trends face headwinds.
“We firmly support policies that will secure our borders and protect legitimate trade, but we also recognize the unintended consequences that substantial tariffs could have over the long term, including higher consumer costs on the wide range of goods that cross our borders by truck, including food, automobiles, televisions, computers, furniture, and other key manufacturing inputs,” ATA’s spear added.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance also called for an end to the trade conflict.
“This has gotten out of hand,” said
Billion Photos
New tariffs and trade agreement renogotiations compound an already cloudy outlook for freight, fleets, and transporation equipment markets.
Stephen Laskowski, CTA president. “The reality is the tariffs are unreasonable and are out of proportion to the problem. The tariffs are like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association likewise criticized the potential effects of the tariffs.
“Such tariffs would have severe consequences for the U.S. vehicle supplier industry, jeopardizing American jobs, increasing costs for consumers, and undermining the highly integrated North American supply chain that is critical to U.S. competitiveness,” the association said. “A 25% tariff would significantly increase the cost of essential vehicle components, with those added costs inevitably passed down to consumers.”
Indeed, tariffs and trade topped the talking points in a presentation by Ana Meuwissen, MEMA SVP of government affairs. She outlined the key issues at MEMA’s recent Heavy-Duty Aftermarket Dialogue conference, before the new tariffs were announced. (See the March magazine for complete event coverage.)
Regarding the Trump Administration’s talk of new tariffs, Wabash President and CEO Brent Yeagy noted that Wabash undertook steps following “the 2018 Trump tariff onslaught” that have “dramatically reduced” the company’s exposure, characterizing it “almost de minimis” at this stage.
“We have built quite a moat around the incoming supply tariff risk. We know our competitors are still substantially exposed to that tariff risk across many different dimensions, so we feel pretty good about that,” Yeagy said during the company’s Q4 earnings call (See Page 30). “From a manufacturing location standpoint, we have one facility that has some level of exposure to potential tariffs on Mexico. Our competitors have substantially more exposure than we do, and we have available capacity in our domestic operations to shift production as needed to minimize those tariff impacts if they were to occur.”
“It’s going to take a little bit more economic growth and a reduction of equipment supply to turn the balance higher.”
Tim Denoyer, ACT Research
“This is the number one issue that we in the MEMA Government Affairs Office have been hearing about from member companies across the whole span of the industry,” Meuwissen said.
The latest trade agreement between North American countries also faces major revisions in mid-2026, and MEMA is hard at work in facilitating negotiations with industry stakeholders.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) under Trump’s first term. The trade deal has major influence on the U.S. economy broadly and the automotive and commercial vehicles industries specifically.
“This is the most stringent automotive and commercial vehicle agreement that we have on the books in the United States,” Meuwissen said. “We basically had a complete rewrite of our chapter of the agreement, with brand new rules and requirements being put in that impact the sector every day.”
The agreement entered force on July 2020 and has a 16-year timeline. Different vehicle classes covered by the agreement have multi-year phase-in periods. The phase-in period for commercial vehicles is seven years and concludes in 2027.
Another significant change for USMCA is a review mechanism, scheduled for July 2026, where the three countries will discuss how the agreement is working and make changes. However, the U.S. has never experienced a trade agreement review process like this, so the outcome of the review is uncertain.
“Honestly, we don’t know how the reviews can be managed,” Meuwissen said. “We’ve never done one like this before; there’s no prototype for this type of review.”
Some terms that the countries might renegotiate include restricting Chinese investment in Mexico, stricter regional value content requirements, and increased duty rates to compel compliance, she noted.
What to expect
Speaking with EBM in the days following the tariff announcements, Jennifer McNealy, director–CV market research and publications at ACT Research, suggested the rapidly evolving situation had the firm’s analysts scrambling to model the impacts on freight, trucks, and trailers.
“It’s a very fluid situation. We are working on scenarios, but to say what’s in those scenarios, and how many we’re going to end up having, I really don’t know,” she said. “It’s literally what we’re working on in-house right now.”
Not that the freight outlook for 2025 was overly promising to begin with.
“Those [carriers] that have managed to stick it out this far are probably pretty good at managing their costs,” Tim Denoyer, ACT Research VP and senior analyst, said. “And they’re going to need to stick it out for a while longer. The load activity is not really picking up very much yet.”
While there have been some positive signs around seasonal events, Denoyer suggested that demand remains relatively soft as many small fleets and owner-operators are more picky about their hauls.
“It’s going to take a little bit more economic growth and a reduction of equipment supply to turn the balance higher,” the ACT Research analyst said. “It’s not quite there yet. It’s going to be a little while.”
With prebuy activity already starting for fleets looking to get ahead of 2027’s more stringent emissions regulations, the next couple of years could be challenging for the industry with latent capacity and underutilized equipment affecting demand.
“That keeps the demand environment relatively soft—in part because private fleets are in-sourcing some freight,” Denoyer explained. “And in part because they’re also increasingly competing in the for-hire spot market.”
Denoyer did share some optimism but noted: “These next couple of years will be a challenge.” TBB
Wabash sees 2024 as ‘foundation’ for future
By Kevin Jones
Arecord year is tough to follow, especially in a down market for trailers, but Wabash executives accentuated the positive in explaining the company’s Q4 and 12-month earnings results.
“As we reflect on 2024, it’s clear that this has been a pivotal year for Wabash,” President and Chief Executive Officer Brett Yeagy said in a conference call with investment analysts. “Building on the record-setting financial and strategic accomplishments of 2023, we continue to demonstrate the improved resilience of our business portfolio during an industry down cycle.
“And, more importantly, we’ve continued to innovate and invest in a manner that’s unprecedented relative to the market conditions.”
Wabash posted net sales of $416.8 million for Q4 2024, compared to $596.1 million from the year before. Operating income was $3.6 million, down from $61.1 million. For the full year, net sales came to $1.95 billion, down from $2.54 billion in 2023, while net income showed a $356.1 million loss, largely attributable to a $450 million legal settlement in a Missouri accident case that is under review. Wabash posted earnings of $312 million in 2023.
A “more diversified portfolio” helped Wabash manage the cyclical downturn in the dry van market. Yeagy cited rising parts and services revenue and a series of new joint ventures and partnerships put together in 2024 as forming the “foundation for scalable growth” going forward.
Likewise, the trailer-as-a-service partnership with autonomous-truck
CEO Highlights
Key Leadership Additions Completed to Drive Culture and Realize Our Strategic Path Forward
Orders Likely to Flow Throughout the Year; Different to Normal Seasonality. Total Backlog of $1.2B ending Q4.
Initiating 2025 EPS Outlook with range of $0.85 to $1.05; Midpoint $0.95
technology provider Kodiak “goes well beyond Wabash” to use dealer service capabilities to ensure uptime and advancing autonomous trucking.
“The growth of collaboration across our ecosystem has been a key theme in 2024,” Yeagy continued. “By leveraging our ecosystem to navigate shifts and seize emerging opportunities, we’re in the early innings of using our competencies as an integrator to develop innovative solutions to industry challenges.
“The actions we took as an organization in response to the first round of Trump tariffs have held over the past four years, and we feel that our supply chain is very well positioned to insulate Wabash from any direct impact stemming from tariffs on components manufactured abroad,” Yeagy said. “Thinking more broadly about the potential impact of U.S. tariffs, we’ve already seen nearshoring activity ramp up for multiple reasons in recent years. To the extent that tariffs act as an accelerant to the nearshoring trend, we believe that foreign imports of goods being replaced by North American manufacturing activity has an outside positive impact on dry van trailer utilization.”
Market conditions
For the market outlook, Wabash has developed a system of leading indicators based on the numerous subsegments of freight generators “within the overall carrier landscape,” Yeagy explained.
“Some [of these sectors] are much more important than others, in terms of where it creates overall freight volume, regional freight volume, and its effect on rates,” Yeagy said. “What we’re looking for should be a subset of those freight drivers that are beginning to move in a positive direction—and we’re seeing those were going the opposite direction this time last year. That’s a fundamental difference from where we’re at today rather than where we were a year ago. That gives us an underlying conservative optimism: When the market starts to turn, those carriers that are more exposed to those subsectors will tend to do better first—and we can somewhat see that by the conversations that we’re having with our customers.”
Regarding the Trump Administration’s talk of new tariffs, Yeagy noted that Wabash undertook steps following “the 2018 Trump tariff onslaught” that have “dramatically reduced” the company’s
Wabash
Wabash Demonstrated Improved Resilience During Freight Down-cycle in 2024 with Sales of $1.95B and Adjusted EPS of $1.22
Collaborating Across Our Ecosystem to Leverage Wabash's Competency as an Integrator Produces Early Customer Value Wins
exposure, characterizing it “almost de minimis” at this stage.
“We have built quite a moat around the incoming supply tariff risk. We know our competitors are still substantially exposed to that tariff risk across many different dimensions, so we feel pretty good about that,” Yeagy said. “From a manufacturing location standpoint, we have one facility that has some level of exposure to potential tariffs on Mexico. Our competitors have substantially more exposure than we do, and we have available capacity in our domestic operations to shift production as needed to minimize those tariff impacts if they were to occur.
“We don’t know exactly how, in what construct, or how long, but we know we have put the right pieces in place to manage it one way or the other. So we’re not overly concerned at this point.”
Speaking more broadly about the potential impact of U.S. tariffs, Yeagy noted the economy has already seen nearshoring activity ramp up “for multiple reasons” in recent years.
“To the extent that tariffs act as an accelerant to the nearshoring trend, we believe that foreign imports of goods being replaced by North American manufacturing activity has an outside positive impact on dry van trailer utilization,” he said.
Segment highlights
During Q4, Transportation Solutions achieved net sales of $370.5 million, a decrease of 32.3% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Operating income was $17.9 million, or 4.8% of sales.
Parts & Services’ net sales for the fourth quarter were $48.6 million, a decrease of 12% compared to the prior year quarter. Operating income was $4.5 million, or 9.2% of sales.
For Q4, Wabash shipped 6,770 new trailers, compared to 10,075 trailers for the period last year. Twelve-month trailer shipments totaled 32,100 in 2024, down from 44,450. Truck body shipments for the quarter were 3,010, down from 4,075. For the year, Wabash shipped 14,255 truck bodies, compared to 16,070 truck bodies in 2023. TBB
Wabash makes leadership changes for 2025
Wabash kicked off 2025 with several key executive changes aimed at advancing the company’s growth strategy and delivering greater value to customers, partners and stakeholders.
Drew Schwartzhoff has been named senior vice president and chief commercial officer. Schwartzhoff will lead Wabash’s commercial organization, driving initiatives to enhance customer engagement, expand market opportunities and align the company’s innovative solutions with evolving customer needs, according to the company.
Schwartzhoff joined Wabash in 2023, bringing over 25 years of experience in marketing and business leadership. Previously, he held senior marketing roles at C.H. Robinson, a global logistics provider, where he enhanced customer experience and expanded market presence. His expertise spans business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing, with a strong focus on logistics and supply chain. Schwartzhoff earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Marketing from St. Cloud State University.
Donald Winston has been named senior vice president and chief operating officer. With more than 25 years of manufacturing leadership experience, Winston has a proven track record of driving operational excellence, safety and quality, the company noted. He joined Wabash in January 2024 as vice president, global operations and was promoted to senior vice president later that year. Prior to Wabash, Winston held senior roles at Novolex, Closure Systems International, Ardagh Group and Ford Motor Company, where he developed expertise in building process-oriented operational environments. He holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Supervision from Purdue University, along with Executive Leadership Training through Duke Corporate Education.
“Drew and Donald are exceptional leaders who bring a powerful combination of strategic vision and operational expertise to Wabash,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Brent Yeagy. “Drew’s customer-first approach and proven ability to align strategy with execution, paired with Donald’s dedication to operational excellence and continuous improvement, position us to deliver even greater value to our customers and partners as we pursue our growth strategy.”
Kevin Page will retire from his role as senior vice president and chief commercial officer after eight years with Wabash. Since joining the company in 2017, Page has played an important role in navigating new opportunities and advancing the company’s customer-focused strategy. To ensure a smooth transition, he will continue in a senior advisory role through June 1.
“Kevin has made significant contributions during his time with Wabash, leaving a lasting legacy of leadership and strategic vision,” Yeagy added. “We are grateful for his dedication and impact on the organization, and we wish him and his family all the best in this next chapter.”
These leadership changes reflect Wabash’s unwavering commitment to driving innovation, delivering exceptional service, and empowering customers and dealers to succeed. With Schwartzhoff and Winston in their new roles, Wabash is poised to continue delivering exceptional value to its customers, partners, and stakeholders while shaping the future of transportation, logistics and infrastructure.
Donald Winston, SVP and COO
Drew Schwartzhoff, SVP and CCO
Wabash
EV push dims with new administration
Trump looks to pull the plug on mandates, incentives; pushes fossil fuel production
By Jeremy Wolfe
Electric trucks and other electrified commercial vehicles aren’t going away, but many of the mandates and much of the government support meant to drive adoption could be unplugged by the new Trump Administration. While many trucking fleets see near-term benefits to a pause in the EV push, research and development efforts for next-gen equipment can’t be turned on and off with the flip of switch.
For now, fleets and their equipment suppliers can expect President Trump, with direct control over the country’s primary environmental authority, to follow his campaign platform in reducing environmental standards, according to industry experts who spoke with Endeavor Business Media.
“During his first term and on the campaign trail, Trump has been a proponent of ‘drill, baby drill’ and an opponent of a government-mandated transition to electric vehicles,” Prasad Sharma, attorney with transportation law firm Scopelitis, told EBM. “Therefore, with challenges to EPA’s Phase 3 GHG
rule already filed, we could expect the Trump administration to revisit and significantly revise that regulation’s de facto imposition of zero-emission truck requirements.”
On his first day in office, the president already began the radical shift in nationwide emissions policies. Here is everything the new administration has done right out of the gate— and could do—to impact truck emissions regulations.
Emissions regs, costs
The most impactful environmental regulations for trucking are the emissions standards set by the U.S. EPA and California Air Resources Board. These rules primarily regulate OEMs in the manufacturing/sale of their trucks and powertrain assets. While reducing harmful emissions, environmental protections also increase the costs of fleet equipment. The latest wave of standards affecting model year 2027 vehicles could increase truck prices by as much as $25,000.
The Trump administration will likely further order EPA to weaken state and federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles, easing the rate at which trucks get more expensive. However, Trump’s auto policies will also heavily disrupt automotive production.
Revision to EPA standards likely
EPA’s latest major emissions rules regulate NOx and greenhouse gas emissions. Both regulations introduce lower pollutant standards and longer warranty period requirements, raising equipment costs.
EPA’s latest rule on truck emissions, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles–Phase 3, received the most attention. This rule is most likely to face revisions from the new administration.
Trucking industry groups overwhelmingly criticized GHG3, calling the rule “unrealistic” and an “electric vehicle mandate.”
“I think there will be major discussions regarding strategic improvements [of GHG3], possibly more realistic timelines because the timelines ... are just not working for the industry.”
David Heller, TCA VP of government affiars
Some industry groups filed suit against EPA for the rule. Republicans strongly oppose GHG3. Partisan lawmakers previously introduced bills to block the rule. Republican attorneys general from 24 states also joined a lawsuit challenging GHG3.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump suggested he would again roll back EPA’s emissions rules. Trump’s pick to lead the EPA, Lee Zeldin, also promised “fair and swift deregulatory decisions.”
“On Day One of the Trump administration, not only will Crooked Joe’s electric vehicle mandate be terminated, but any Biden waiver allowing gasoline-powered cars to be outlawed will be immediately revoked,” the Trump campaign told Politico in March.
The first day of the Trump administration did not terminate GHG3. However, the president did begin his battle with emissions standards.
One of his first executive orders mandated an immediate review of all agency actions that “potentially burden the development of domestic energy resources,” including emissions standards. The aim of the review is to ultimately remove or revise those standards. In the same executive order, he required a review to challenge whether EPA can regulate greenhouse gases at all and paused funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that supported electric vehicles.
GHG3 likely won’t disappear overnight. In his first term, when Trump weakened EPA vehicle emissions standards, he instead replaced the existing regulation with a weaker version. A Trump EPA would likely replace GHG3 with a weaker version, maintaining some portions of the original rule’s timeline.
How exactly this new, weaker rule could change the industry is still a mystery.
The Truckload Carriers Association’s VP of government affairs, David Heller, thought the administration might tweak its timeline to be more forgiving for new equipment.
“I think there will be major discussions regarding strategic improvements, possibly more realistic timelines because the timelines that are out there right now are just not working for the industry,” Heller said.
However, the president’s advisers have sway over his decisions. Ken Vieth, president and senior analyst of ACT Research, suggested that this may change the trajectory of emissions rules. Elon Musk is both the owner of Tesla—manufacturer of the Tesla Semi BEV—and an adviser to the president. Musk may influence the president’s control over EPA.
Push for more oil production
The United States in 2024 produced the most oil of any nation in history, but the Trump administration hopes to further increase oil production on federal land.
The president on his first day published a slew of executive orders to boost oil production and reduce renewable energy:
• Mandated a review of all agency actions that potentially burden domestic energy development
• Ordered agencies to “eliminate harmful, coercive ‘climate’ policies that increase the costs of food and fuel”
• Challenged U.S. wind energy production
• Withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement
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CARB puts brakes on ZEV mandates
By Jeremy Wolfe
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) on Jan. 13 withdrew its request for an EPA waiver to enforce its Advanced Clean Fleets rule. The withdrawal means CARB is now no longer seeking to enforce its ZEV mandate on fleets. At least for now.
The move came just days before President-elect Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term.
“The trucking industry and American consumers can breathe a collective sigh of relief today after CARB finally bowed to reality and shelved its job-killing Advanced Clean Fleets regulation,” said American Trucking Associations president and CEO Chris Spear. “We look forward to President-elect Trump rescinding CARB’s remaining unworkable waivers and new leadership at EPA restoring a common-sense approach that balances environmental progress with economic viability.”
The Truckload Carriers Association’s senior VP of safety and government affairs, David Heller, said the withdrawal “can only be viewed as a major victory for our industry.”
“It goes without saying that our messaging during our Call-onWashington in September was lasting and impactful,” Heller told TCA members in a statement. “Of course, the withdrawal of this waiver request arrives less than a week before President-Elect Trump is sworn into office but represents a significant milestone in our industry’s efforts to curb this unattainable regulation.”
NTEA, however, suggested the waiver withdrawal should be “viewed cautiously” as a positive development, but “the fight is not over.”
“The work truck industry needs ironclad assurances from the State of California that it will neither enforce the current ACF
• Declared a “national energy emergency,” directing agencies to fast-track energy production on Federal land and issue emergency fuel sale waivers.
The orders will likely introduce slight downward pressure on fleets’ diesel prices over the next year, though they do not guarantee fuel prices will fall.
“I would think, at least based on some of his core businesses, it wouldn’t surprise me that he would be inclined to support more expensive diesel engines that are more complex to operate,” Vieth said.
The administration might instead weaken warranty requirements—reducing the rise in new diesel equipment costs while still giving an edge to heavy-duty EVs.
rule nor revise it in an attempt to circumvent the EPA waiver process,” the association said in a statement.
NTEA’s concern is that California’s withdrawal of the ACF waiver request to the EPA is “merely a strategic attempt” to preserve what it believes to be its ability to enforce the rule (or some alternative version) without needing a waiver, as California still has federally mandated air pollution requirements and state greenhouse gas reduction mandates.
Why revoke the request?
CARB withdrew its waiver request as part of its preparation for strife with the incoming president. After taking to the White House, Trump is expected to deny any pending CARB waivers.
Trump promised to combat emissions regulations during his campaign. “I will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one,” Trump said at the Republican National Convention in July.
Trump’s EPA nominee, Lee Zeldin, is also positioned to “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions,” according to Trump.
In a voice of support for Zeldin ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing, the ATA threw its support behind the former congressman and argued that the current U.S. EPA set the trucking industry up for failure by imposing unworkable mandates on unrealistic timelines.
“America’s truckers deserve an EPA leader who will work productively with industry to set federal emissions standards that are achievable and do not risk disrupting our supply chains,” ATA’s Spearwrote in a letter of support. “Unfortunately, the current EPA failed to meet those thresholds and instead
“The bigger part of the regulation is the warranty extension on the emissions system,” Vieth said. “Could the solution be as easy as ‘let’s get rid of the warranty extension and this isn’t a $20,000 regulation; it’s a $7,000 regulation?’”
Fleet owners can feel confident in assuming the new administration will weaken emissions standards for new equipment eventually. However, fleets should keep an eye on how exactly this deregulation will roll out. The nature and timeline of GHG3’s deregulation will be a factor in the cost of future trucks.
Threat to CARB rules
The California Air Resources Board is perhaps the most contentious regulator for U.S. trucks. CARB’s environmental
consistently conceded its federal responsibilities to the California Air Resources Board, creating a patchwork of state mandates and timelines for emissions reduction and forced electrification of heavy-duty trucking. We believe that under Rep. Zeldin’s leadership, the EPA can restore common sense to environmental policies, providing a national roadmap that is both ambitious and achievable.”
Behind the waiver process
Under the Clean Air Act, California has the unique freedom to set its own emissions standards that exceed EPA’s.
CARB needs a waiver from EPA before it can enforce the regulations. States can choose to adopt the regulations that CARB sets.
ACF is a controversial zero-emission vehicle mandate directly targeting fleets. The regulation requires certain fleets to phase-in ZEVs and, by 2036, requires manufacturers to only manufacture ZEV trucks. It is the only remaining major heavy-duty emissions regulation that CARB did not receive an EPA waiver for. The other two recent heavy-duty CARB regulations, Advanced Clean Trucks and Omnibus, have already received waivers.
regulations are likely to face similar opposition from the Trump administration.
CARB only sets emissions standards for California and participating states but is still an influential regulator of commercial vehicles.
Its influence is due in part to the state’s economic size: California had the fifth-largest GDP in the world in 2023. With California’s size, plus that of the several other adopting states, CARB regulations have a tremendous impact on interstate carrier and OEM operations.
“There’s a tremendous global presence based on California alone that creates, basically, a de facto national administration,” Heller said.
For trucking, the major CARB regulations in the crosshairs are Advanced Clean Trucks, Advanced Clean Fleets, and the Heavy-Duty Omnibus. ACT and ACF mandate the sale/adoption of zero-emission trucks, and Omnibus sets strict emissions requirements. Like GHG3, the CARB regulations limit the availability of—and help raise the cost of—new trucks.
Like GHG3, trucking associations and Republicans frequently criticize and oppose CARB’s regulations. The board’s regulations face lawsuits from groups including the National Truck Equipment Association and state attorneys general.
While CARB is a state-level agency, it requires federal permission to enforce regulations in the form of EPA waivers. For example, CARB received waivers for ACT and Omnibus—but it has not received a waiver for ACF, rendering it unenforceable. These waivers allow Trump’s EPA some control over CARB’s regulatory authority, which the president will likely exercise in his second term.
In his first term, Trump temporarily revoked a CARB waiver. The Biden administration reversed the action. California already convened a special legislative session in December to brace CARB for the incoming Trump term.
Scopelitis’s Sharma noted that courts have not yet decided whether a president can revoke waivers.
“While the courts are working their way through several issues, including a related issue on redressability and standing, we will be paying attention to whether a Trump EPA would rescind the waiver already granted for the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation,” Sharma said. “That regulation is making it more difficult to purchase new diesel trucks. Although a court has not decided whether an EPA waiver can be rescinded.”
On his first day as president, Trump ordered EPA to review “state emissions waivers that function to limit sales of gasolinepowered automobiles” and develop a plan to revise them.
CARB will likely continue to enforce its established regulations and follow their timelines. Conflict with the federal government, however, poses an existential threat to the regulations. Interstate carriers will want to keep an eye on CARB’s waivers over the next year. TBB
M.H. Eby rolls out low-profile gooseneck
M.H. Eby has introduced the new GN16KLP Gooseneck Low Profile Trailer, billed as a durable and versatile solution for hauling equipment and heavy loads.
Designed with Eby’s signature all aluminum construction, this trailer delivers strength, performance, and long term corrosion resistance while maximizing payload capacity for fleets, accord ing to the manufacturer.
The GN16KLP features a 16,000 pound GVWR with an impressive 12,640 pound payload capacity, making it ideal for demanding jobs. Standard features include a 24’6” by 82” extruded aluminum deck, a gooseneck hitch with a 2 5/16” adjustable ball coupler, and dual 7K axles equipped with electric brakes and EZ Lube hubs.
Additional highlights include:
• Load Securement: Stake pockets, rub rail, and 4 remov able stake pocket D rings for flexible cargo management.
• Ease of Loading: A beavertail design and 36” wide ladder
Modalis offers new ‘Butterfly’ swap-body
French intermodal specialist Modalis recently unveiled its “Butterfly” container—an eco‑de signed, open top 20 ft. swap body, which is the fruit of a European col laboration project.
The patented container has an automated roof and is made from recyclable composite panels, the company explained. It combines speed, safety, lightness and durability, meeting decarbonization requirements for industry and bulk carriers.
ramps ensure smooth, efficient equipment loading.
• Convenient Storage: A toolbox mounted between the landing gear for secure, accessible tool and gear storage.
• Lighting: All DOT required LED lighting with a sealed wire harness and 7 way RV plug.
For more information, visit www.mheby.com
“Our strength lies in our ability to inno vate,” Bernard Meï, Modalis chairman, said in a news release. “We pay close attention to our customers’ requirements in terms of safety, ergonomics, and payload, and we go out into the field to observe what goes on there. Innovation at Modalis is always geared toward meet ing these goals. Today, we are the world’s most diversified rental company, with an extremely wide range of products.
“That versatility is our signature.”
The newest addition to Modalis innovations, the Butterfly offers signifi cant benefits in terms of ergonomics. It addresses the problems and limitations often encountered with current open top
are too slow and tedious to open, while those with a hard top are complicated to handle due to their height and weight.
Technology and eco-design unite
The Butterfly’s roof is made from composite panels in a fabric of long glass fibers incorporated into a thermoplastic matrix, the company said. The use of these panels offers a unique combination of strength, flexibility, and lightness, making it possible to install a patented opening and closing system. In only 20 seconds, the top can be opened and closed through 270 degrees to make it completely watertight.
Thanks to its design, it can be controlled by an operator from the ground, eliminating the risks associated with working at heights. Further, it is watertight for addi tional benefits while transporting loads such as fertilizers or waste as it minimizes odors.
Finally, the panels are 100% recy clable and can be reused to create furniture, for example. This versatile container represents an alternative for current metal solutions. With its low carbon content and competitive price, it will appeal to a wide range of shippers and make it easier to integrate a rail link into a logistics chain.
European collaboration
The Butterfly container was developed through European collaboration between Modalis, the Belgian design firm Agesia, which specializes in composite materi als, and the Italian manufacturer CCFC, which is responsible for demonstrations and mass production. Three months of outdoor testing and tests in real operating conditions helped validate the Butteryfly container’s prototype.
Visit www.modalis.com for more.
swap bodies—models with tarpaulin roofs
Modalis
MH Eby
ConMet marks 30 years of PreSet technology
ConMet this year is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its PreSet wheel-end technology. Since its debut in 1995, the PreSet family of hubs has helped redefine the heavy-duty wheel end, delivering exceptional reliability, safety, and efficiency for Class 8 trucks.
From PreSet to PreSet Plus
The story of PreSet technology began with ConMet’s mission to solve the complexities of manual wheel-end assembly. At the time, OEMs sourced wheel-end components from different suppliers and assembled them in house, a complicated and time-consuming process that often led to lower-than-expected longevity, ConMet said.
ConMet changed that in 1995 by introducing PreSet, the first pre-assembled wheel end in the industry. PreSet provided all ConMet components in a single unit, preadjusted to exact specifications. PreSet eliminated guesswork for OEMs and set a new standard for safety and ease for use in Class 8 trucks and trailers.
This product paved the way for the PreSet Plus hub assembly, launched in 2011. Where PreSet simplified the wheel-end assembly process, PreSet Plus introduced an integrated spindle nut and induction-hardened spacers, providing sustained clamp load longer than other products on the market. The new pre-assembled wheel end further simplified installation and enhanced durability.
For the aftermarket, preassembled PreSet and PreSet Plus hubs offer significant benefits by simplifying the decision between replacing and rebuilding. Replacing a worn hub with a pre-assembled PreSet hub takes less time than rebuilding a conventional hub. This not only reduces service complexity and downtime but also lowers the total cost of ownership for fleets.
PreSet hubs also provide versatility for the aftermarket. They are available for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, in both iron and aluminum, with drum and disc brakes, for use in all tractor and trailer axle positions. This product breadth ensures distributors can meet the diverse needs of their customers while maintaining a reliable and proven solution.
“PreSet Plus represented a significant advancement in wheel end technology,” Brian Rieger, ConMet vice president of sales, said in a news release. “One of the key breakthroughs was the ability to provide manufacturers and fleets with a solution that not only enhanced long-term reliability but also addressed realworld challenges like maintaining optimal clamp load under the most demanding conditions.
“This ensured safer, more efficient operations for our customers.”
PreSet and PreSet Plus hubs have become a trusted choice of leading OEMs and fleets across North America. Today, more than 40 million PreSet and PreSet Plus hubs have been installed, collectively logging an estimated 31 trillion miles on the road, proving the product’s robust quality and reliability.
The PreSet advantage
For OEMs, PreSet Plus hubs streamline manufacturing processes by delivering fully pre-assembled, line-sequenced wheel ends directly to them. This eliminates the need for complex on-site assembly and reduces the risk of component damage or contamination on the production line.
The integrated spindle nut design ensures all components are securely held together, improving reliability and simplifying installation. These efficiencies allow OEMs to accelerate production timelines while maintaining the highest quality standards.
PreSet hubs: A vertically integrated solution
ConMet’s PreSet and PreSet Plus wheel ends benefit from a vertically integrated design and manufacturing process that ensures quality, precision, and availability for the end user, ConMet concluded.
• Vertical integration: All critical components, including hub castings, bearings, seals, spindle nuts, and spacers, are designed and engineered in-house and manufactured to the highest quality standards. This guarantees compatibility and reliability throughout the entire system, and a single warranty program that covers all components.
• Tight manufacturing tolerances: Precision design and tolerancing of critical components ensures consistent end play every time, reducing the risk of premature component failure and enhancing overall system performance.
These factors are a cornerstone of ConMet’s commitment to delivering durable, efficient, and reliable wheel-end solutions that meet the rigorous demands of the heavy-duty industry.
“When we introduced PreSet and later PreSet Plus wheel ends, we reinforced our ability to anticipate industry needs and provide forward-thinking solutions,” said Bryan Williams, ConMet senior vice president of engineering and technology.
“As we celebrate this milestone, we remain dedicated to shaping the future of wheel-end technology with the same passion and innovation that brought us to this point.”
For more information, visit www.conmet.com
Ranger Design’s Trazer aluminum rack built for flexibility
Ranger Design recently released the Trazer Truck Rack, billed as the only all-aluminum, forklift-loadable rack on the market.
The Trazer Truck Rack offers:
• Lightweight strength: Constructed from premium-grade aluminum, the Trazer combines low weight with exceptional durability, ensuring it won’t bog down your truck’s payload capacity.
• Oversized load? No problem: The over-the-cab truck rack extension makes it a breeze to transport ladders, piping, and other oversized, job-critical materials.
• Built to last: The rack’s corrosion-resistant materials are designed to withstand the toughest environments, from harsh weather to heavyduty job sites.
The Trazer is also designed to be customizable. The extrusion channels enable seamless compatibility with Ranger Design accessories, allowing users to optimize the setup.
Compatible Ranger Design accessories for the rack include:
• Cargo racks kits (Cargo stops and cargo straps)
• Ladder rack kits (Clamp racks and safe clamps)
• Accessories (Transport tubes and strobe mounts)
These accessories enhance your truck’s storage capabilities and help operators stay organized, efficient, and ready for any task.
Available for truck beds in 5.5 ft., 6.5 ft., and 8 ft. sizes, the unit’s no-drill installation is built for a hassle-free setup.
The Trazer Truck Rack additional features include:
• Forklift loading: The truck rack simplifies loading and unloading with
Coxreels offers biodiesel equipment for various applications
Coxreels offers hose reels and plumbing designed for biodiesel, one of the most common alternative fuels.
Biodiesel comes from various sources, such as agricultural oils, including soy, corn, and canola; recycled cooking oil; and animal fats. Due to how reactive biodiesel is, fleets need to consider seals and materials when choosing equipment.
If the biodiesel concentration is B5 or less, it will behave like standard diesel, Coxreels said. For these concentrations, the supplier recommends using standard fueling reels (SHF or TSHF). For concentrations above B5, stainless steel plumbing with Viton seals and non-sparking pawls is best.
For those above B5, Coxreels recommends: SHF-N-525-BBN, TSHF-N-XXX-BBN, or TSHL-N-635-BBN. Concentrations above B20 requires Viton seals and a special hose, such as the TSHF-N-620-BBN with the Flexwing VersaFuel Hose. Visit www.coxreels.com
versatile forklift compatibility.
• QuickShip availability: Delivered within 48 hours to meet urgent needs.
• Corrosion-resistant: Built to handle tough weather and various environments.
• Lightweight design: Maximizes payload capacity while maintaining exceptional strength.
• Commercial-grade engineering: Built to withstand the rigorous demands of daily use.
Visit www.rangerdesign.com for more information.
Ranger Design
Coxreels
February 17-20, 2025
NATM Convention & Trade Show
Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, TN www.natm.com
February 19-20, 2025
ACT Research Market VItals
The Commons, Columbus, IN www.actresearch.ne
Ancra
February 25-27, 2025
NATDA Trailer Tech Expo
Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, NV www.natda.org/tte-exhibit
March 4-7, 2025
Work Truck Week
Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN www.worktruckweek.com
March 10-13, 2025
TMC Annual Meeting & Transportation
Technology Exhibition Music City Center, Nashville, TN tmcannual.trucking.org
March 25-27, 2025
World of Asphalt America’s Center Convention Complex St. Louis, MO www.worldofasphalt.com
March 27-29, 2025
Mid-America Trucking Show
Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, KY www.truckingshow.com
April 22-24, 2025
www.b2bsupplyco.com
NTTC Annual Conference JW Marriott Tampa (FL) Water Street www.tanktruck.org
April 23-25, 2025
TTMA 83rd Annual Convention Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort www.trucktrailer.org
April 28-May 1, 2025
Advanced Clean Transportation Expo Anaheim Convention Center, CA www.actexpo.com
June 1-4, 2025
Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference Williamsburg Lodge & Conference Center Williamsburg, VA www.eufmc.com
August 27-28, 2025
North American Trailer Dealers Association (NATDA) Trailer Show, Music City Center, Nashville, TN www.natda.org/trailer-show
September 8-11, 2025
FTR Transportation Conference, Union Station, Indianapolis, IN www.ftrconference.com
September 8-11, 2025
FABTECH Chicago McCormick Place, Chicago, IL www.fabtech.com
September 16-18, 2025
NATM Trailer Expo
Oklahoma City Convention Center, OK www.trailerexpo.com
September 22-23, 2025
NTEA Executive Leadership Summit
Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest Ypsilanti, MI www.ntea.com
Truck, trailer, and body OEMs
Great Dane hired Robert P. France as the company’s newest executive vice president and chief human resources officer. In his new role, France will work with Great Dane leadership to shape the company’s talent strategy. Prior to this appointment, France held various leadership positions at Corning Incorporated for 23 years, most recently as senior vice president and chief human resources officer.
Jake Montero has been promoted to general manager for Peterbilt and PACCAR vice president. Prior to his appointment, Montero served as Peterbilt assistant general manager in Sales and Marketing for two years and has been with PACCAR for 19 years. Erik Johnson has also been named Peterbilt assistant GM of Sales and Marketing and worked with PACCAR for 19 years.
Suppliers and distributors
Elgin Industries has appointed Susan Liddi as chief financial officer of the company. Liddi joined Elgin in early 2024 as the company’s controller, but will now be responsible for various financial, risk management, Capex, and compliance, duties. Prior to joining Elgin, Liddi served as general manager of IT Managed Services for the Mechdyne Corporation, and before that, as finance operations director for The Recycling Partnership.
Bob Erexson has retired from Polar King International after 41 years of service. Erexson first joined Polar King in 1983 as a production employee, eventually growing into roles such as final assembly foreman, production supervisor, and plant manager. He served as plant manager until his retirement on January 14, 2025.
BOSS Industries promoted Neal Roberts from outside sales support to North Central regional sales manager. Roberts has worked with Boss for almost seven years, beginning his career as an automotive technician in La Porte, Indiana, before working at Gates Automotive for a little over a year. He then returned to Boss in 2020 and moved into various sales positions.
Ben Decker has been promoted to Gold Eagle Company’s new private brands national account manager. In his new role, Decker will report to Senior Director — Private Brand Sales Brant Sarkisian, and he will manage the company’s original equipment manufacturer and private brand accounts while securing new ones. Decker last served as director of solutions implementation for Kem Krest, prior to which he was director of operations.
Associations
Carey Chen has joined The American Welding Society (AWS) as the company’s executive director and chief executive officer. Chen succeeds Robert Roth, who served as interim executive director and CEO. Prior to joining AWS, Chen served as CEO for Fathom Digital Manufacturing Solutions, Cadrex Manufacturing Solutions, and Incodema Holdings. He has also volunteered with AWS and the AWS Foundation since 2007.
Dealers
Sunstate Equipment has appointed Norty Turner as president and CEO starting February 10, 2025. Turner succeeds Chris Watts, who will retire at the end of March after nearly 30 years of service. Turner has spent three decades in the equipment rental industry, most recently as United Rentals senior vice president of Services and Advanced Solutions, before which he worked as CEO of RIWAL.
Robert P. France
Neal Roberts
Ben Decker
Carey Chen
Norty Turner
Erik Johnson Jake Montero
Susan Liddi
Bob Erexson
