ATA truck tonnage shows consecutive increase

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — New truck tonnage numbers in the U.S. seem to bode well for those that were hoping for at least a small turnaround in the freight-hauling industry.

Tonnage south of the border is crawling back, but
ATA wants industry isn’t out of the woods yet.

The American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 1.2 percent in March, which was the second straight monthly gain, after consecutive negative reports going back to last fall.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the tonnage index improved to 114.6 (2000 = 100) in March from 113.3 the previous month. The index grew 1.6 percent compared with a year earlier, marking the first year-over-year increase since June 2006 and the largest gain since December 2005. index jumped 15.7 percent from February to 117.1.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said the year-over-year improvement was a positive sign, but he warned that the industry “was not out of the woods just yet.”

“Year-over-year changes could still fall back into negative territory during some future months. Many motor carriers are telling us anecdotally that April has been filled with starts and stops,” he said.

Costello projects the industry will see a gradual improvement in volumes as the year progresses due to an inventory correction, which should boost truck volumes, and a better economic outlook for 2008.

ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership and has been doing so since the 1970s.