Trailer net orders in March, at 23,190 units, rose 12% over February, according to the most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT).

“While large fleets made order commitments in the last four months of 2014, small and medium fleets, along with dealers, finally joined the party late in the order season,” said Frank Maly, Director–CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT. “Emphasis now shifts to production as OEMs move to deliver on those record-setting order commitments.” Maly noted several positives for the trailer industry, including impending resolution of the West Coast ports labor issues, good freight volume, and robust investment plans by fleets. “Our view that 2015 will be the best trailer market since the late 1990s remains unchanged,” he added.

ACT is the worldwide leading publisher of new and used commercial vehicle (CV) industry data, market analysis and forecasting services for the North American market, as well as the U.S. tractor-trailer market and the China CV market. ACT’s CV services are used by all major North American truck and trailer manufacturers and their suppliers, as well as the banking and investment community in North America, Europe and China.