Truck Tonnage Gains 1% in November
Truck tonnage increased 1% in November, bouncing back from the first year-over-year decline in three years, American Trucking Associations said Tuesday.
Tonnage rose 3.7% in November from October, following a 3.7% month-to-month drop the previous month, ATA said in its monthly seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage report.
Tonnage is up 2.8% year-to-date compared with the same period last year. October’s year-over-year decline was 2.1%.
The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents tonnage actually hauled by fleets, fell 6.5% in November from October to a 115.7 reading. ATA uses the year 2000 as a 100-reading baseline.
Hurricane Sandy affected both October’s and November’s tonnage readings, but a boost to flatbed tonnage is expected from areas rebuilding after the storm, ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a statement.
Even if a federal agreement is reached in “fiscal-cliff” negotiations, Costello said he expects slower tonnage growth next year as better housing starts and auto sales will be offset by slower factory output and consumer spending.
ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies.
