US truck tonnage spikes 2.1% in July
ARLINGTON, Va. — US truck tonnage rose 2.1% in July but was still down 10.4% year-over-year, according to the American Trucking Associations’ For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index.
The 2.1% spike didn’t completely offset June’s 2.4% decline. July’s 10.4% year-over-year decline was actually the best showing since February 2009, the ATA reported.
The ATA says it’s not surprising tonnage seems to fluctuate each month.
“It is not unusual for an economic indicator to become volatile before changing direction,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “While I am optimistic that the worst is behind us, I just don’t see anything on the economic horizon that suggests freight tonnage is about to rise significantly or consistently. Still, even small gains are better than the February 2008 through April 2009 cumulative tonnage reduction of 15.5%.”
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