US truck tonnage up 2.8% in February

Avatar photo

ARLINGTON, Va. — US for-hire truck tonnage jumped 2.8% in February, after falling 4.5% in January due to severe winter weather, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) announced.

The index was up 3.6% year-over-year in February and year-to-date, tonnage is up 2.3%, ATA says.

“It is pretty clear that winter weather had a negative impact on truck tonnage during February,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “However, the impact wasn’t as bad as in January because of the backlog in freight due to the number of storms that hit over the January and February period.”

Costello said he remains optimistic that conditions are favourable for truckers.

“The fundamentals for truck freight continue to look good,” he said. “Several other economic indicators also snapped back in February. We have a hole to dig out of from such a bad January, but I feel like we are moving in the right direction again. I remain optimistic for 2014.”

Avatar photo

Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry.


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*