Jonathan S. Reiskin |
U.S. truck tonnage rose by 1.3% in June, compared with the same month in 2016, American Trucking Associations reported July 18.
The seasonally adjusted index was 138.5 last month, compared with 136.7 a year earlier. ATA measures tonnage as an index where business activity among for-hire carriers in the year 2000 equals a base level of 100.
Looking at the index from month-to-month shows more of a roller-coaster pattern. From May to June, tonnage fell 4.3%, following a 6.9% surge from April to May.
“After such a large spike in May, it was not surprising to see the index give back some of those gains in June,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello 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 said his overall freight outlook remains intact: “June’s slide does not change my belief that we will continue to see moderate, albeit at times choppy, growth in truck tonnage as the year continues.”
Looking at the raw tonnage figures, before seasonal adjustment, the June number was 144.3, or 1% dip from the May level of 145.8.
About 70% of all U.S. freight, measured by weight, is carried on trucks, according to ATA statistics.