Net orders of commercial trailers rose to 22,915 in December, a 7 percent increase over a strong November, according to ACT Research Co.


ACT also reported that December factory shipments were up 12 percent from November and up 69 percent versus December of last year.

In the latest release of "State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers," ACT noted the surge in net orders has been broad based. Seven of the nine trailer categories reported triple digit year-over-year increases in December, led by a 417 percent gain in the dry van segment, the largest trailer market. For the full year, commercial trailer factory shipments rose 52 percent while net orders rose by 105 percent.

"Comparatively speaking, 2010 was a good year for the commercial trailer industry as factory shipments rebounded by 52 percent," said Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst with ACT Research. "However, the fact that even with that increase, 2010 was the second worse year for factory shipments since 1983, clearly shows how bad 2009 was. The good news is that orders have ramped up nicely in the last quarter and set the stage for strong growth in 2011."