The American Trucking Associations (ATA) recently announced its advanced seasonally-adjusted (SA) for-hire truck tonnage index fell 4.3 percent during the month of June, equaling 138.5.
The June index’s fall followed a month in which the index rose 6.9 percent to a total of 144.7 during May. Compared to June 2016, the SA index increased 1.3 percent. On a year-to-date basis, compared to the previous year, the index is up one percent.
“After such a large spike in May, it was not surprising to see the index give back some of those gains in June,” Bob Costello, chief economist for the ATA, said. “However, looking back at the second quarter as a whole, tonnage was up 0.8% over the first quarter and 1.9% over the same quarter last year, so it was a solid three month period.”
Costello continued, stating that June’s slide did not change his belief that [the industry] will continue to see moderate, albeit sometimes choppy, growth in truck tonnage as the year continues.
The association calculates its SA for-hire index based on surveys from its membership. ATA noted that the June index was a preliminary figure and was subject to change in the final report, typically issued around the 10th day of the following month. For instance, the May index was originally reported as a 6.5 percent gain, only to be adjusted to the real index of 6.9 percent.
The final report will include month-to-month and year-over-year results, along with relevant economic comparisons and key financial indicators.