CCJ‘s Indicators rounds up the latest reports on trucking business indicators on rates, freight, equipment, the economy and more.
The amount of freight moved by the for-hire trucking industry, as measured by the American Trucking Associations’ monthly Truck Tonnage Index, dipped four-tenths of a percent in June, ATA reported Tuesday. The slight dip negates the four-tenths of a percent gain from May.
However, despite the small dip in June from May, tonnage was up 7.8 percent compared to June 2017. Year-to-date, compared with the first half of last year, tonnage increased 7.9 percent, outpacing the annual gain of 3.8 percent in 2017.
“In the second quarter, we saw the tonnage index jump 1.8 percent from the previous quarter and 8.4 percent from a year earlier,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “This robust growth fits with what is likely to be a very strong GDP reading for the second quarter. I expect the growth in tonnage to moderate, but remain at very high levels in the months ahead.”
