Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023:
Truck tonnage saw slight improvement in October
Tonnage hauled by trucks was down 2.2% from October 2022, despite the month-over-month increase.ATA
ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 1.1% in October after falling 1.1% in September. In October, the index equaled 115.2 (2015=100) compared with 113.9 in September.
“After hitting a floor in April, tonnage has slowly and inconsistently improved, but remains 3% below its recent peak in September 2022,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Despite the monthly gain, truck freight remains soft as it continues to contract on a year-over-year basis. It is important to remember that our for-hire truck freight index, which includes both truckload and LTL freight, is dominated by contract freight with minimal amounts of spot market loads. The traditional spot market remains much weaker than contract tonnage.”
Compared with October 2022, the SA index fell 2.1%, which was the eighth straight year-over-year decrease. In September, the index was down 4.1% from a year earlier.
The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 119.7 in October, 6.3% above the September level (112.5). In calculating the index, 100 represents 2015.
Trucking Cares Foundation donates $20K to Texas driving school
The Trucking Cares Foundation, the American Trucking Associations’ charitable arm, recently donated $20,000 to South Dallas Driving Academy, a non-profit that provides free driver education courses to low-income teens and young adults.
TCF previously donated $15,000 in seed money to SDDA, which helped launch the program in 2021.
“By removing barriers and opening new career pathways in trucking, the South Dallas Driving Academy is empowering young Texans and lifting them out of poverty,” said TCF Chairman Phil Byrd, president and CEO of Bulldog Hiway Express. “The Trucking Cares Foundation is proud to continue our support of this transformative program that invests in people and the future of our industry.”
SDDA president Von Minor said the support has helped the program grow “to a multi-campus on-ramp helping the residents of our community find a pathway out of poverty by obtaining this vital life credential (Class C License).”
He added that because of TCF’s donations, the program has expended from serving 15-17-year-olds to also helping adults obtain their Class C and CDL-A licenses, as well as connecting them with trucking companies looking to hire drivers and technicians.
