ARLINGTON, Va. — US for-hire truck tonnage surged 2.8% in June after decreasing a revised 2% in May.

The American Trucking Associations originally reported a 2.3% decline in May. June’s seasonally adjusted tonnage figures reached their highest point since January 2011.

Compared to June 2010, seasonally adjusted tonnage was up 6.8% in June, marking the largest year-over-year gain since January. In May, tonnage was up just 3% year-over-year.

“Motor carriers told us that freight was strong in June and that played out in the data as well,” ATA chief economist Bob Costello said, pointing out tonnage recovered all of the losses in April and May when the index contracted a total of 2.6%.
“After growing 5.5% in the first half of the year from the same period last year, the strength of truck tonnage in the second half will depend greatly on what manufacturing output does,” Costello added. “If manufacturing continues to grow stronger than GDP, I fully expect truck freight to do the same.”