June Truck Tonnage Rises 3.2%
June tonnage rose 1.2% from May, while May’s tonnage had dipped 1% from April, ATA said in its seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage report.
Year-to-year tonnage had risen 2.7% in March, 3.5% in April and 4.1% in May.
The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents tonnage actually hauled by fleets, had a reading of 123 in June, down 0.9% from May. ATA uses the year 2000 as a 100-reading baseline.
For the first half of the year, tonnage is 3.7% higher than last year. ATA said.
“June’s increase was a pleasant surprise, but the lower year-over-year gain fits with an economy that has slowed,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a statement. “Manufacturing output was strong in June, which helped tonnage levels.”
Costello lowered his tonnage outlook for 2012 to the 3% to 3.5% range, from a previous 3% to 3.9%, due to recent economic weakness.
Costello said he was still concerned about businesses sitting on cash instead of hiring more workers or spending it on capital, both of which would give the economy a boost.
ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies.
