CCJ Indicators: Tonnage, rates dip

ATA reports tonnage decrease: Truck tonnage as measured by ATA’s monthly For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index fell half a percent in June from May, ATA reported this week, but tonnage climbed 1.8 percent from the same month last year. Year-to-date through June, tonnage is up 3.4 percent in 2015.

And continuing the year’s up and down pattern, June’s drop comes following a 1.1 percent increase in May, but a 1.4 percent drop in April from March.

ATA Chief Economist, who called tonnage “soft” in the month, said the trend could continue. “I [remain] concerned over the elevated inventory-to-sales ratio for retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers, which suggests soft tonnage in the months ahead until the ratio falls,” he said. “I remain hopeful that the inventory correction will transpire this summer. When the correction ends, truck freight – helped by better personal consumption – will accelerate.”