July 11, 2005 2:30 PM, EDT

ATA Reports May Truck Tonnage Index Rose 0.8%

Growth Level Is 0.1% More Than Reported Earlier

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verall trucking freight volumes rose 0.8% in May on a seasonally adjusted basis, the first increase in four months, American Trucking Associations said late Friday.

ATA’s Truck Tonnage Index basis rose to 115.2 for the month, following a 0.9% drop in April.

The 0.8% gain was slightly higher than a 0.7% increase reported by the group on June 27. (Click here for previous coverage.)

The May index was 1.4% higher than May 2004, while April’s was 0.3% below a year earlier, ATA said.

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis the tonnage index rose 2.1% to 117.1, after dropping 4.9% in April.

ear-to-date, the index was 3.2% higher than the same period last year, “growing decently and remain[ing] in line with our expectations of 3% to 3.5% growth in 2005,” ATA said.

ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership. The index compares activity to a 1993 base year and is derived by sampling companies in all types of freight-hauling operations.