ATA reports solid truck tonnage volumes in January

Truck tonnage volumes in January got 2019 off to a good start, according to data issued by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) today.

The ATA’s advanced seasonally-adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index for January, at 117.3 (2015=100) was up 2.3% compared to December, which was off 1%. Compared to January 2017, SA tonnage was up 5.5%, which was below the full-year 2018 annual gain of 6.7% compared to 2017, which marked the largest annual SA gain going back to 2017.

The ATA’s not seasonally-adjusted (NSA) index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by fleets before any seasonal adjustment and the metric ATA says fleets should benchmark their levels with, came in at 113.1 in January, up 2.9% compared to December.

“After monthly declines in both November and December, tonnage snapped back in January,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello in a statement. “I was very pleased to see this rebound. But we should expect some moderation in tonnage this year as most of the key sectors that generate truck freight tonnage are expected to decelerate.”

Trucking activity was solid throughout 2018, buoyed by strong economic fundamentals like low unemployment and strong consumer spending. While concerns over trade tension and tariffs remain intact, trucking capacity remains fairly tight, coupled with decent pricing and steady demand.