Truck Tonnage Rises 4.2% in February
Truck tonnage rose 4.2% in February from the same month last year, American Trucking Associations said.
February had a reading of 123.6, ATA said in its monthly seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage report, released Tuesday. ATA uses the year 2000 as a 100-reading baseline.
Month-to-month, tonnage rose 0.6% after a revised 1% increase in January that was smaller than the 2.4% gain originally reported.
The not seasonally adjusted index — which represents tonnage actually hauled by fleets — fell 5.5% in February from the previous month to a reading of 120.1.
“Fitting with several other key economic indicators, truck tonnage is up earlier than we anticipated this year,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said.
“I’m still concerned that freight tonnage will slow in the months ahead as the federal government sequester continues and households finish spending their tax refunds. A little longer term, I think the economy and the industry are poised for a more robust recovery,” he said.
ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies.
