Truck Tonnage Rises 4.8% in April
The increase followed a revised 6.5% year-over-year gain in March, ATA said in its monthly seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage report.
The March truck tonnage gain had originally been reported as a 6.3% increase.
Month-to-month, the index decreased 0.7% in April. That followed a revised 1.9% month-to-month March increase that had originally been reported as a 1.7% gain, ATA said.
The index came in at a reading of 114.9, down from 115.6 in March, with the year 2000 as a baseline reading of 100. January’s 116.6 reading had been the highest in three years.
ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said he expects economic activity, along with truck freight levels, to grow moderately in coming months.
“Since freight volumes are so volatile, truck tonnage is unlikely to grow every month, even on a seasonally adjusted basis,” he said in a statement.
“The [trucking] industry and the economy at large should benefit from the recent decline in oil and diesel prices,” Costello added. “Lower fuel costs will help freight volumes and to motor carriers bottom lines.”
ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies.
