Nearly 44,000 net orders were posted in December, the second strongest month on record for the trailer industry, according to the research published by ACT Research Co. For total year 2014, net orders were 359,000, up nearly 55% over 2013.

“The industry orderboard has reached a level not seen in almost 20 years,” said Frank Maly, director, commercial vehicle transportation analysis and research at ACT. “The last four months of 2014 all rank in the top 10 net order months in history. As we look forward into 2015, strong orders, long backlogs, solid freight volumes, a healthy economic outlook, an old fleet, and rising trucker profitability have combines to lay the groundwork for the best trailer market since the late 1990s.”

For more information, visit the ACT Research website.