April Truck Tonnage Surges 9.4%
Truck tonnage surged 7.5% in April from a year ago, the fifth straight year-to-year increase and the largest gain in more than five years, American Trucking Associations said Friday.
Tonnage has risen 6% this year compared with the same period in 2009, ATA said in its monthly seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index.
The gain was the biggest year-to-year increase since January 2005. The index rose 0.9% in April from March, following a 0.4% increase, ATA said.
The improvement left the index at a reading of 110.2, its highest level in a year and a half, with the year 2000 as a baseline level of 100.
The not seasonally adjusted index — the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment — was 111.3 in April, down 4.4% from March.
ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said the latest reading fits with a sustained economic recovery.
“Truck tonnage volumes continue to improve at a solid, yet sustainable, rate. Tonnage is being boosted by robust manufacturing output and stronger retail sales,” he said.
Costello said that “for most fleets, freight volumes feel better than reported tonnage because the supply situation, particularly in the truckload sector, is turning quickly.”
ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies.
