Wabash ramps up hiring in Q3, Q4 as trailer demand rises

Trailer manufacturer Wabash plans to increase dry van production line staffing in the fourth quarter of 2026 after already raising hourly head count on those lines by 15% in the third quarter, the company’s top executive said. The increase in head count was moved up from the first quarter of 2027, CEO Brent Yeagy told analysts and investors during Wabash’s third-quarter 2026 earnings call, adding: “Effectively, by the end of the year, all second-shift production will be turned on.” Wabash, the only publicly listed U.S. trailer manufacturer and therefore a unique window into demand dynamics, exemplifies a sharp turnaround in the trailer market. As recently as March, the company was cutting jobs due to a surplus of trailers. But in July, Wabash opened its order book for 2027 dry van trailer production slots a couple of months earlier than usual, citing a turnaround in demand from carriers. Dry van trailers are Wabash’s biggest market. Lafayette, Ind.-based Wabash typically opens its order book for the coming year in the fall, but said fleets were asking for earlier access to configurations, delivery windows and pricing. The decision was vindicated by orders booming toward the end of the most recent quarter. The company’s 2027 dry van backlog was above 12,000 units toward the end of Q3, almost 16,000 units by the end of the quarter and almost 20,000 units by mid-October, with more orders in the process of closing, Yeagy told analysts Oct. 29. WNC Quotes by TradingView See more transportation stock listings As of Sept. 30, the company’s total order backlog —…

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