May 31, 2005 9:00 AM, EDT

ATA’s Truck Tonnage Index Falls 0.9% in April

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

verall trucking freight volumes fell 0.9% on a seasonally adjusted basis to 114.3 in April, according to an American Trucking Associations index released late Friday.

The April month-to-month drop in ATA's Truck Tonnage Index was the third straight following a 5% gain in January.

The level was 0.3% below last April, for the first year-over-year drop since November 2001, ATA said. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the index fell 4.9% from March.

Year-to-date, tonnage increased 3.7% compared with a year earlier. The truck tonnage index rose 5.7% in 2004, ATA said.

"The economy has decelerated some from last year, but this year has still been good in terms of growth and demand," said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello.

"There continues to be a favorable supply-demand market and we expect to see a strong fall freight season," he 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.