Wabash National Corporation Announces Strong Order Activity and Increasing Production Rates

LAFAYETTE, Ind., Jan. 26, 2004 -- Wabash National Corporation announced today that it experienced strong order activity during December 2003. Net orders received by the Company exceeded 8,000 units, or approximately 26% of the total net orders received by the trailer industry, as reported by A.C.T. Research Co., LLC.

Commenting on the order activity, William P. Greubel, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "As forecasted, the trailer industry is beginning to see a pronounced increase in order activity. We are pleased with our increased share of industry demand. As a result, we have announced plans to increase our production rates during the first quarter of 2004. To meet these increased production rates, the Company expects to add approximately 300 associates to our workforce. The increased production rates will result in added capacity of approximately $200 million in revenue on an annualized basis."

Wabash National Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets standard and customized truck trailers under the Wabash(TM) brand name. The Company is one of the world's largest manufacturers of truck trailers and a leading manufacturer of composite trailers. The Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Wabash National Trailer Centers, is one of the leading retail distributors of new and used trailers and aftermarket parts throughout the U.S. and Canada.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" contained in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 5, 2003, that could cause the Company's actual results and experience to differ materially from anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements.