ATA Tonnage Index Drops 2.2% in February

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verall trucking freight volumes fell 2.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis to 115.7 in February, according to an American Trucking Associations index released Monday.

The drop in ATA’s Truck Tonnage Index followed the largest month-to-month gain in several years in January — revised upward to 5% from a previously reported 3.4% — which was a record high, the group said.

On a non-seasonal basis, the index fell 3.1% from January. The February level was 3.9% higher than a year earlier, ATA said.

“February's decrease, while quite large in historical terms, needs to be tempered with January’s extremely strong gain,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello.

ATA expects tonnage decelerate compared to 2004 but “we still expect tonnage to grow solidly in 2005,” Costello 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.