ATA reports gains in April truck tonnage

Truck tonnage saw gains for the third straight month in April, according to data issued by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) earlier today.

Seasonally-adjusted (SA) truck tonnage in April was up 1.5 percent, following a 0.6 percent gain in March, with the index at 129.1 (2000=100). This is 1.9 percent below the all-time SA high of 131.0 recorded last November.

On an annual basis, the April SA was up 4.8 percent, marking its biggest annual gains for any month in 2014. And on a year-to-date basis SA tonnage is up 2.9 percent through April.

The ATA’s not seasonally-adjusted (NSA) index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by fleets before any seasonal adjustment was 131.5 in April, up 1.6 percent compared to March. On an annual basis, the NSA is up 4.3 percent.

As defined by the ATA, the not seasonally-adjusted index is assembled by adding up all the monthly tonnage data reported by the survey respondents (ATA member carriers) for the latest two months. Then a monthly percent change is calculated and then applied to the index number for the first month.

“I’m pleased that tonnage has been making solid progress after falling a total of 5.2 percent in December and January,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello in a statement. “And April’s nice gain was better than the contraction in industrial production and the lackluster retail sales during the same month.”

These gains come at a time when signals continue to indicate that the impact of this past winter are fading into the past. What’s more, over the road capacity remains tight and securing loads remains more difficult than usual for shippers, due to a variety of factors.

These factors include: a still recovering economy; regulatory drag; and the ongoing driver shortage, among others.

Even with these issues, many supply chain stakeholders believe that the freight economy is turning the corner, adding that prospects for the sector for the remainder of this year are positive in terms of rate and volume growth.

An industry analyst also observed in a research note that things could get better on the tonnage front as the year moves along.

“Based on our due diligence, we anticipate further sequential strengthening in coming months as produce and beverage shipment activity accelerates, along with spring and summer merchandise, though more difficult comparisons could impact year-over-year trends,” wrote KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Todd Fowler in a research note.