ARLINGTON, Va. — It’s two steps forward and one step back for the latest American truck tonnage rates in September.

The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 0.3 percent last month, after back-to-back increases of 2.1 percent in both July and August. The latest decline lowered the SA index to 103.9 (2000=100).

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 107.9 in September, up 2 percent from August.

Compared with September 2008, tonnage fell 7.3 percent, which was the best year-over-year showing since November 2008.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said that the latest reading fits with the premise that the recovery will be moderate and choppy. 

"The trucking industry should not be alarmed by the very small decrease in September,” Costello noted. “We took two steps forward in July and August and this was a miniscule step backward.”

He said that the industry should be prepared for ups and downs in the months ahead, but the general trend should be modest improvement.

“Between most economic indicators recovering and less of an overhang in inventories, I’m confident that the industry is still on the road to recovery.”

The indexes are calculated based on responses by ATA member carriers, ranging from small fleets to multi-billion dollar carriers.