August Tonnage Index Drops 0.8%, ATA Says

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verall for-hire trucking freight volumes fell 0.8% in August from a month earlier, American Trucking Associations said Tuesday.

The 113.5 index level was followed a revised 0.5% drop in July and was 0.7% higher than last August, ATA said.

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the truck tonnage index rose 10.8% from July, to a record 123.1.

Bob Costello, ATA’s chief economist, said the TTI slipped for three consecutive months on a month-to-month basis, totaling 1.5%. But on a year-over-year basis, the index rose each month in 2005, excluding April.

Industry growth has been modest in recent months, slowing from an 8.6% growth rate to below 1%. Costello said the manufacturing industry played a significant role in the deceleration in truck tonnage.

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