How many refrigerated vehicles are sold in the USA each year?

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How many refrigerated vehicles are sold in the USA each year?

Hello! Thank you for your request to determine the amount of refrigerated vehicles sold in the US each year. The short version is that an estimated 117,299 refrigerated vehicles are sold in the US each year. An estimated 76,680 refrigerated trailers are sold in the US each year. An estimated 40,619 refrigerated vans/trucks are sold in the US each year.

METHODOLOGY
I have scoured the Internet for articles, papers and statistics related to this subject.

Firstly, I familiarized myself with the variety of refrigerated vehicles sold in the US, from there I endeavored to determine the annual sales volume and distribution among the various types.

Please note that the numbers required were not directly stated in any source consulted, but that there was enough data available to estimate the most current numbers to an acceptable, statistical certainty.

I has become apparent that when the market reports on sales it does not separate trucks from vans or 'tractor-trailers' for that matter, rather, reports are divided between trailers (those that are intended for use with a single truck or van and vans, as it relates to single-units delivery vehicles (ie vans/trucks).

Please note that information on this industry is very well hidden, and all reports thereon are hidden behind a pay-wall. There are, however, several market reports available for purchase, the most comprehensive being a report by QY Research, priced at $3,800.

FINDINGS
According to a report on Food Logistics, the US refrigerated transport market is set to grow at a CAGR of 12.44% from 2014 to 2019. This relates to services delivered, and not the sales of vehicles.

According to a US truck trailer market study, 50% of US sales of trailers come from domestic production.

According to a report on Trailer Body Builder, Utility Trailers accounts for half of the refrigerated trailers produced in the US. The number for 2014 was 20,949 ,expected to grow by 8% to 2015, which would equal 22,625 refrigerated trailers. If we apply the 50% that this represents of US production, we see an estimated 45,250 refrigeration trailers manufactured in the US annually.

According to AB Newswire, the US comprises a 14% share of global trailer exports, accounting for $1.527 billion. IBISWorld states that US manufacturing revenue for trailers amounts to $10 billion. Therefore:

(10 - 1.527) / 10 * 100 = 84.73% of all trailers manufactured in the US are sold locally. If we apply this to the amount of refrigerated trailers manufactured we see:

45,250 * 0.8473 = 38,340. Since we know that this represents 50% of the total trailers sold in the US, we see:

38,340/0.5 = an estimated 76,680 refrigerated trailers sold in the US each year.

A 2015 truck-trailer output report states that a total of 339,948 trailers were sold in 2015. Refrigerated units therefore account for:

76,680 / 339,948 * 100 = 22.56% of the truck-trailer market.

According to a recent report, in 2015 there were 423,089 commercial vans sold in the US.

A report on the Texas shipping market states that the demand for van freight across the US follows a similar trend to trucks. However, where the are 12 loads to each truck there are only 5 loads to each van. Therefore, the demand for vans, as it relates to trucks, is 5/12, or 41.67% that of truck shipments.

From the data above, we determine that 22.56% of 432,089 is 97,479. If we further apply the demand for vans, as it correlates to trucks, we see:

97,479 * 0.4167 = 40,619 estimated number of refrigerated vans sold in the US in 2015.

Therefore, we can estimate that the total number of refrigerated vehicles sold in the US annually amounts to an estimated 117,299.

Data provided by statista and the Union Pacific Corporation, shows that the amount of refrigerated rail cars have diminished significantly, from 24,321 in 2005, to 6,612 in 2014. Furthermore, nearly 67% of these are leased, and likely not sold. Therefore, sales of these vehicles are negligible in estimating the amount of refrigerated vehicles sold.

CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, an estimated 117,299 refrigerated vehicles are sold in the US each year. An estimated 76,680 refrigerated trailers are sold in the US each year. An estimated 40,619 refrigerated vans/trucks are sold in the US each year.

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