ATA truck tonnage index falls in April
ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Trucking Association’s seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index decreased 2.1% in April after a 4.4% drop in March.
In April, the index equaled 134.8 (2000=100), down from 137.6 in March. The all-time high was 144 in February.
Year-over-year, the SA index was up 2%. Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2015, tonnage was up 3.5%.
“After having an abnormally large seasonally adjusted gain in February, tonnage fell in April, in addition to the large drop in March,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “However, while freight remained soft in April, based on other economic indicators, the outlook for tonnage is a little better than just a couple of months ago.
“With that said, there is still an inventory correction transpiring throughout the supply chain that will keep a lid on truck freight volumes in the near term,” he said. “As a result, we are still likely to experience lackluster tonnage numbers in the next few months.”
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