US truck tonnage dips in August
ARLINGTON, Va. — US for-hire truck tonnage dipped 2.7% in August, marking the largest month-to-month decrease since March 2009.
Tonnage was still up 2.9% compared to last August, according to the American Trucking Associations index. In July, US for-hire truck tonnage was up 7.4% year-over-year.
Year-to-date, tonnage is still up 6.2% compared to the same period last year.
ATA chief economist Bob Costello said the latest figures indicate the economy is still growing, but very slowly.
“We fully anticipate sluggish economic growth for the remainder of this year and the latest tonnage numbers are reflecting that slowdown,” Costello said. “While I’d much rather see better tonnage figures, motor carriers can now do better with small increases in demand since so much supply left the industry during the recession.”
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Is dipping 2.7% in volume from July tonnage as bad as it sounds? I would like to hear the historical difference from July to August I would guess that there is a decline almost every year, even in the good times. Maybe I am wrong, but the increase of 2.9% from August 2009 should be the focus.