Tonnage up 0.9% in April

ATA index up 9.4% year-over-year

The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased for the sixth time in the last seven months, gaining another 0.9 percent in April. The latest improvement put the SA index at 110.2, the highest level since September 2008. The nonseasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by fleets, equaled 111.3 in April, down 4.4 percent from the previous month.

ATA’s Truck Tonnage Index -- ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello says tonnage is being boosted by robust manufacturing output and stronger retail sales.

Compared with April 2009, SA tonnage surged 9.4 percent, which was the fifth consecutive year-over-year gain and the largest increase since January 2005. Over the last seven months, the tonnage index grew a total of 6.5 percent. Year-to-date, tonnage was up 6 percent compared with the same period in 2009.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello says the latest tonnage reading fits with a sustained economic recovery. “Tonnage is being boosted by robust manufacturing output and stronger retail sales,” Costello says. “For most fleets, freight volumes feel better than reported tonnage because the supply situation, particularly in the truckload sector, is turning quickly.”

ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership. The report includes month-to-month and year-over-year results, relevant economic comparisons and key financial indicators. The baseline year is 2000.

IN BRIEF

* FTR Associates said May Class 8 truck total net orders for all major North American OEMs was 12,903 units, a 9.8 percent decline from April, while year-over-year comparisons showed a 74.7 percent improvement over May 2009. ACT Research Co. said April net orders for medium-duty Class 5-7 equipment grew by 39 percent but was hampered by continued weakness in the residential housing market and state budget constraints.