COLUMBUS, Ind. — Final trailer order numbers for 2014 are in and they continue to amaze.

ACT Research said nearly 44,000 net orders were placed in December, the second strongest order month on record.

For the total year 2014, 359,000 trailers were ordered, up 55% compared to 2013.

“The industry orderboard has reached a level not seen in almost 20 years,” said Frank Maly, director – CV 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.”