COLUMBUS, Ind. — Net orders for commercial trailers in February were up 168 percent from February 2009 and were at their highest level in two years.

Dry van orders were very strong, posting triple digit increases on both a month-over-month and year-over-year basis, according to ACT Research Co.

In the latest release of “State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers,” ACT noted widespread improvement with year-over-year growth in seven of the nine trailer segments.

Reefer van orders, which generally performed the best during the recession, posted a year-over-year gain of 45 percent. The improved orders pushed total trailer backlogs to its highest level in 17 months, which will support a gradual increase in production rates, says the research firm.