March trucking tonnage sees gains, reports ATA

Truck tonnage volume for the month of March saw some gains, according to data issued by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) earlier this week.

Seasonally-adjusted (SA) for-hire truck tonnage in March was up 1.1 percent on the heels of a revised 2.8 percent (from 3.1 percent) February decline, with the SA index at 133.5 (2000=100). This is off 0.3 percent from the all-time high for the SA of 135.8 from January 2015 and is up 5 percent annually, outpacing February’s 3.3 percent annual gain and down from January’s 6.7 percent spread.

For the first quarter, ATA said SA tonnage was flat compared to the fourth quarter of 2014 and up 5 percent compared to the first quarter of 2014.

The ATA’s not seasonally-adjusted (NSA) index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by fleets before any seasonal adjustment, hit 139.7 in March, marking a 17.2 percent increase over February. The NSA was up 7.4 percent annually.

“While tonnage did not fully recoup the loss from February, it increased nicely in March,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello in a statement. “I’d say that tonnage was one of the better indicators for the month, which is a positive sign for the broader economy. The next couple of months will be telling for truck freight volumes as we enter the spring freight season.”

ATA officials added that truck tonnage has increased in five of the last six months, but is off 1.7 percent from the high in January.