Truck tonnage slips due to lack of capacity
U.S. for-hire truck tonnage slipped 1.5% in June, according to the latest data from the American Trucking Associations (ATA).
“Tonnage has definitely flattened out, on average, over the last six to nine months,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello.
“The good news is that it remains slightly above 2020 levels. Supply chain issues are likely putting some downward pressure on tonnage. But it is also likely that tonnage isn’t growing as much as it could because of industry-specific supply constraints. This index is dominated by contract freight, and the for-hire truckload carriers have seen their tractor counts fall because they are having difficulty finding qualified drivers. It is difficult to move more tonnage with less equipment, which is why we are seeing strong volumes in the spot market as shippers scramble to get loads moved.”
The June decline comes on the heels of a revised 1% decrease in May. Year-over-year, June tonnage was up 0.5% and year-to-date, tonnage is up 0.3%.
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The problem is truck drivers not willing to give free hours at shippers and receivers. The solution is hourly pay for O T R truck drivers with 5000 hours experience on U S soil of $23.00 U S plus medical care and overtime pay after 10 hours .build another 30.000 parking spots in the U S and shore power at shippers and receivers and we will have a surplus of trucks
“qualified drivers”
that quote from the article speaks volumes