Truck Tonnage Rises 2.7% in March

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Truck tonnage rose 2.7% in March from a year ago, the smallest gain since December 2009, American Trucking Associations said Tuesday.

The year-over-year increase followed a 5.5% gain in February.

March tonnage edged up 0.2% from February, ATA said in its monthly seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage report.

February’s sequential increase from January was 0.5%, ATA said.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents actual tonnage, was 123.2 in March, up 9.1% from the previous month. ATA uses the year 2000 as a 100-reading baseline.

“March tonnage, and the first quarter overall, was reflective of an economy that is growing, but growing moderately,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said. “The pace of freight definitely slowed from the torrid pace in late 2011.”

Costello said the industry should not expect tonnage to maintain the 5.8% growth rate seen in both 2010 and 2011. “Expect tonnage overall this year to be up at a more moderate rate, perhaps less than 3%, which is more in-line with normal growth,” he said.

ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies.

By Transport Topics

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