In The News
ATA says tonnage fell 3 percent in April
After reaching an all time high in January, the American Trucking Associations' advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index (TTI) fell 3 percent in April.
The April TTI was 128.6, indicating that freight tonnage was 28.6 percent higher than the average for the base year of 2000.
ATA revised the March TTI downward after receiving additional data from its members. Since January's 135.8 record high, the TTI has fallen 5.3 percent, including a 0.4 percent increase in the month of March. That's the lowest it has been since April 2014.
The April tonnage Index is up only 1 percent compared to April 2014, the smallest year-over-year gain since February 2013.
On a positive note, the organization reported that tonnage for the first four months of 2015 is up 3.8 percent over the same period of 2014.
"Like most economic indicators, truck tonnage was soft in April," said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. "Unless tonnage snaps back in May and June, GDP growth will likely be suppressed in the second quarter."
"The next couple of months will be telling for both truck freight and the broader economy," Costello continued. "Any significant jump from the first quarter is looking more doubtful."
ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership. More information is available on the ATA website at trucking.org.
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