ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Trucking Associations For-Hire truck tonnage index declined 0.9% in August.

According to the numbers, in August the index equaled 134.2, down from 135.3 in July. The all-time high of 135.8 was reached this past January.

Year over year, the SA index increased 2.1%, which was below the 4% gain in July. Year-to-date through August, compared with the same period last year, tonnage was up 3.3%.

“After such a robust July, it is not too surprising that tonnage took a breather in August,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “The dip after a strong gain goes with the up and down pattern we’ve seen this year.”

Costello added a few factors hurt August’s reading, including soft housing starts and falling factory output.

“As I said last month, I remain concerned about the high level of inventories throughout the supply chain. This could have a negative impact on truck freight volumes over the next few months,” he said.