Is there any way to force this algorithm to start at the lowest numbered trunk instead of the highest?

Outbound calls always start at the bottom of the list as they are in the CO Trunk Group. If you need to modify this you would need to break the trunks into different CO Trunk groups then order it in the desired order via ARS (Route/Facility Group)

We want to see the largest number of trunks in concurrent use. This is easily seen if both inbound and outbound use trunks in the same order. I was hoping for a simple change in our switch versus creating a work order with the provider.

Thanks

If it is PRI you can specify from the telco ascending or descending.

I'd think there would be greater opportunity for call clash if both inbound and outbound activity are competing for the same trunks??

Interesting thought. Although that is inherent in any system. Given enough calls they have the opportunity to clash. How would I know if this were happening?