June 27, 2006 5:10 PM, EDT

May Truck Tonnage Increases 0.3%, ATA Says

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merican Trucking Associations said Tuesday its preliminary May for-hire truck tonnage index rose 0.3%, following a 2% gain in April.

The gain put the seasonally adjusted index at 113 and the index was 1.3% below the same month last year. The not seasonally adjusted index rose 11.2% from April to 119.8.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said May’s volumes followed April’s improvement after declines in February and March.

But he noted that the index was still 4.3% lower than January’s reading of 118, the highest level so far this year.

“Truck tonnage growth in May was another good step in the right direction,” Costello said. "With economic growth expected to stabilize in the months ahead, by and large, I expect modest increases in truck tonnage."

ATA’s economics department calculates the monthly index based on surveys of its members.