American truck tonnage index slides 0.7 per cent in April: ATA

THE American Trucking Associations' advance seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index fell 0.7 per cent in April after gaining a revised 1.9 per cent in March 2011.


The non-seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equalled 113.6 in April, eight per cent below the previous month, ATA said.


Compared with April 2010, tonnage climbed 4.8 per cent. In March, the tonnage index was 6.5 per cent above a year earlier.


"The drop in April is not a concern. Since freight volumes are so volatile truck tonnage is unlikely to grow every month, even on a seasonally adjusted basis," ATA economist Bob Costello said. "I expect economic activity, and with it truck freight levels to grow at a moderate pace in the coming months and quarters."


Trucking represents 67.2 per cent of tonnage carried by all modes of US domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled nine billion tons of freight last year. Motor carriers collected US$563.4 billion, or 81.2 per cent of total revenue earned by all transport modes, it said.
(Source:http://www.schednet.com)