Indicators: Truck tonnage rebounded in October

CCJ‘s Indicators rounds up the latest reports on trucking business indicators on rates, freight, equipment, the economy and more.

The American Trucking Associations‘ monthly Truck Tonnage Index, a measure of how much freight is hauled by the for-hire trucking industry, jumped 6.3 percent in October, rebounding after a dip in August and a flat September.

Compared to October 2017, tonnage was up 9.5 percent. Year to date, compared to the first ten months of 2017, tonnage was up 7.3 percent.

“Last month’s strength was due, at least in part, to strong import numbers, especially on the West Coast,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “This is likely a pull ahead of imports as shippers try to take delivery of goods before January 1 when tariffs on a large list of goods China increases from 10 percent to 25 percent.”