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						FOLEY & LARDNER LLP ATTORNEYS AT LAW 777 EAST WISCONSIN AVENUE MILWAUKEE, WI 53202-5306 414.271.2400 TEL 414.297.4900 FAX www.foley.com

March 5, 2020

Wabash National Corporation

1000 Sagamore Parkway South

Lafayette, Indiana 47905

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel for Wabash National Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S‑3 (the “Registration Statement”), including the prospectus constituting a part thereof (the “Prospectus”), to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the issuance and sale by the Company from time to time of an indeterminate amount of: (i) shares of the Company’s common stock, $.01 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), (ii) debt securities of the Company (the “Debt Securities”), (iii) shares of the Company’s preferred stock, $.01 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”), (iv) warrants (the “Warrants”) to purchase Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Debt Securities or other securities of the Company, in any combination, and (v) units consisting of any combination of two or more of the foregoing (the “Units” and, together with the Common Stock, the Debt Securities, the Preferred Stock and the Warrants, the “Securities”). The Prospectus provides that it will be supplemented in the future by one or more supplements to such Prospectus and/or other offering material (each, a “Prospectus Supplement”).

As counsel to the Company in connection with the proposed issuance and sale of the Securities, we have examined: (i) the Registration Statement, including the Prospectus, and the exhibits (including those incorporated by reference), each constituting a part of the Registration Statement; (ii) the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws, each as amended to date; (iii) the Senior Debt Securities Indenture, dated April 23, 2012, between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee (the “Senior Indenture”); (iv) the form of subordinated debt securities indenture filed as Exhibit 4.3 to the Registration Statement (the “Subordinated Indenture” and, together with the Senior Indenture, the “Indentures”); and (v) such other proceedings, documents and records as we have deemed necessary to enable us to render this opinion.

In our examination of the above-referenced documents, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents, certificates and instruments submitted to us as originals and the conformity with the originals of all documents submitted to us as copies. We have also assumed that (i) the Registration Statement, and any amendments

AUSTIN
BOSTON
CHICAGO
DALLAS
DENVER

DETROIT
HOUSTON
JACKSONVILLE
LOS ANGELES
MADISON

MEXICO CITY
MIAMI
MILWAUKEE
NEW YORK
ORLANDO

SACRAMENTO
SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO
SILICON VALLEY
TALLAHASSEE

TAMPA
WASHINGTON, D.C.
BRUSSELS
TOKYO

Wabash National Corporation

March 5, 2020

Page 2

thereto (including post-effective amendments), will comply with all applicable laws; (ii) a Prospectus Supplement, if required, will have been prepared and filed with the SEC describing the Securities offered thereby; (iii) all Securities will be issued and sold in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and in the manner stated in the Registration Statement and any applicable Prospectus Supplement; (iv) any supplemental indenture or officer’s certificate setting forth the terms of a series of Debt Securities to be issued under the Senior Indenture will be duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto in substantially the form reviewed by us; (v) any supplemental indenture or officer’s certificate setting forth the terms of a series of Debt Securities to be issued under an indenture, substantially in the form of the Subordinated Indenture, will be duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto in substantially the form reviewed by us; (vi) a definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement with respect to any Securities offered will have been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and the other parties thereto; (vii) any Securities issuable upon conversion, exchange or exercise of any Security being offered will have been duly authorized, created and, if appropriate, reserved for issuance upon such conversion, exchange or exercise; and (viii) with respect to shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock offered, there will be sufficient shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock authorized under the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, and not otherwise reserved for issuance.

Based upon and subject to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, and having regard for such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:

1.All requisite action necessary to make any shares of Common Stock validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable will have been taken when:

a.The Company’s Board of Directors, or a committee thereof duly authorized by the Board of Directors, shall have adopted appropriate resolutions to authorize the issuance and sale of the Common Stock; and

b.Such shares of Common Stock shall have been issued and sold for the consideration contemplated by, and otherwise in conformity with, the Registration Statement, as supplemented by a Prospectus Supplement with respect to such issuance and sale, and the acts, proceedings and documents referred to above.

2.All requisite action necessary to make any Debt Securities valid, legal and binding obligations of the Company, respectively, subject to (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent transfer, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium and other similar laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and (ii) general principles of equity, regardless of whether applied in a proceeding in equity or at law, shall have been taken when:

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b.The terms of such Debt Securities and of their issuance and sale shall have been established in conformity with the applicable Indenture so as not to violate any applicable law or result in a default under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding upon the Company and so as to comply with any requirements or restrictions imposed by any court or governmental entity having jurisdiction over the Company;

c.Such Debt Securities shall have been duly executed, authenticated and delivered in accordance with the terms and provisions of the applicable Indenture; and

d.Such Debt Securities shall have been issued and sold for the consideration contemplated by, and otherwise in conformity with, the Registration Statement, as supplemented by a Prospectus Supplement with respect to such issuance and sale, and the acts, proceedings and documents referred to above.

3.All requisite action necessary to make any shares of Preferred Stock validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable will have been taken when:

a.The Company’s Board of Directors, or a committee thereof duly authorized by the Board of Directors, shall have adopted appropriate resolutions to establish the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights, if any, or the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, if any, and other terms of such shares as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the exhibits thereto and any Prospectus Supplement relating to the Preferred Stock, and to authorize the issuance and sale of such shares of Preferred Stock;

b.A Certificate of Designation with respect to the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights, if any, or the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, if any, and other terms of such shares shall have been filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in the form and manner required by law; and

c.Such shares of Preferred Stock shall have been issued and sold for the consideration contemplated by, and otherwise in conformity with, the Registration Statement, as supplemented by a Prospectus Supplement with respect to such issuance and sale, and the acts, proceedings and documents referred to above.

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4.All requisite action necessary to make any Warrants valid, legal and binding obligations of the Company, subject to (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent transfer, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium and other similar laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and (ii) general principles of equity, regardless of whether applied in a proceeding in equity or at law, shall have been taken when:

a.The Company’s Board of Directors, or a committee thereof or one or more officers of the Company, in each case duly authorized by the Board of Directors, shall have taken action to approve and establish the terms and form of the Warrants and the documents, including any warrant agreements, evidencing and used in connection with the issuance and sale of the Warrants, and to authorize the issuance and sale of such Warrants;

b.The terms of such Warrants and of their issuance and sale have been established so as not to violate any applicable law or result in a default under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding upon the Company and so as to comply with any requirements or restrictions imposed by any court or governmental entity having jurisdiction over the Company;

c.Any such warrant agreements shall have been duly executed and delivered;

d.Such Warrants shall have been duly executed and delivered in accordance with the terms and provisions of the applicable warrant agreement; and

e.Such Warrants shall have been issued and sold for the consideration contemplated by, and otherwise in conformity with, the Registration Statement, as supplemented by a Prospectus Supplement with respect to such issuance and sale, and the acts, proceedings and documents referred to above.

5.All requisite action necessary to make any Units valid, legal and binding obligations of the Company, subject to (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent transfer, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium and other similar laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and (ii) general principles of equity, regardless of whether applied in a proceeding in equity or at law, shall have been taken when:

a.The Company’s Board of Directors, or a committee thereof or one or more officers of the Company, in each case duly authorized by the Board of Directors, shall have taken action to approve and establish the terms of the documents evidencing and used in connection with the issuance and sale of the Units, and to authorize the issuance and sale of such Units;

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b.The terms of such Units and of their issuance and sale have been established so as not to violate any applicable law or result in a default under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding upon the Company and so as to comply with any requirements or restrictions imposed by any court or governmental entity having jurisdiction over the Company;

c.Such Units shall have been duly executed and delivered in accordance with their respective terms and provisions; and

d.Such Units shall have been issued and sold for the consideration contemplated by, and otherwise in conformity with, the Registration Statement, as supplemented by a Prospectus Supplement with respect to such issuance and sale, and the acts, proceedings and documents referred to above.

We express no opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York, the provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and the federal laws of the United States.

We hereby consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus which is filed as part of the Registration Statement, and to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are “experts” within the meaning of Section 11 of the Securities Act or within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Foley & Lardner LLP