New Trucking Index Drops in January after December Growth

A new economic index based on diesel fuel purchasing in the trucking industry fell in January after an increase in December, the index’s authors said.

The Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index fell at an annualized rate of 36.8% in January, the groups that calculate the index said.

The three-month moving average grew at a 3.3% annualized rate in January after a 14.6% increase in December.

The index is calculated by the UCLA Anderson School of Management. UCLA uses diesel purchasing data from Ceridian Corp., a provider of fuel payment cards for trucking companies. The index only calculates data from Ceridian customers.