ATA's Truck Tonnage Index Rises 0.7% in May

verall trucking freight volumes rose 0.7% in May as the economy grew modestly, American Trucking Associations said Monday.

ATA’s seasonally adjusted Truck Tonnage Index basis rose to 115.1 for the month, following a 0.9% drop in April.

The May index was 1.3% higher than last May, while April’s had been 0.3% below a year earlier, ATA said.

Year-to-date, the index was 3.2% higher than the same period last year, putting it in line with 2005 forecasts that the index will grow 3% to 3.5% this year, ATA said.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said that while the tonnage was growing, it would not reach 2004 levels when the economy was growing at a faster pace. At the same time, tonnage levels have been more modest this year because of disparities in production of some commodities, such as steel.

“The economy continues to decelerate form last year, but we are not in a significant downturn,” Costello said.

“However, freight volumes will be modest for the rest of this year compared with 2004 when our tonnage index grew 5.7%,” he said. “I still believe there will be a favorable supply-demand market this freight fall season despite the moderation in volumes.”

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.