Truck Tonnage Index Declines 1.7% from Feb. ’06

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American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index for February fell 1.7% from the same month a year ago, marking the eighth straight year-to-year decline, ATA said late Monday.The index rose 1.6% for the month compared with January, following a revised 3.1% downturn that month, ATA said late Monday. The month-to-month index rose to 113.3, from 111.5. The not seasonally adjusted index fell 6.8% from January, to 101.2, ATA said. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said February’s tonnage increase, compared with January, came as a surprise given other economic trends during the month and bad winter weather.He attributed some of the index’s strength to easy comparisons with January, because that month had been particularly weak.“The increase from January, as well as the relatively small decrease from a year earlier, while welcomed, is probably not the norm, at least in the short-run,” Costello said. “Freight levels remain challenging, despite some anecdotal reports of better volumes in late March. ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies.