ATA: Truck tonnage index rises in August

The seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 149 in August, up 7.1 percent from July and 8.2 percent from August 2016, according to the American Trucking Associations.    Domestic truck tonnage increased 7.1 percent in August from the previous month, following a revised 0.5 percent monthly gain in July, according to the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index.
   The index equaled 149 in August, an 8.2 percent increase from 12 months prior, following a 2.7 percent year-over-year boost in July.
   The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage hauled by fleets prior to any seasonal adjustment, totaled 156.4 in August, up 10.5 percent from 141.6 the previous month.
   “Tonnage was stronger than most other economic indicators in August and more than I would have expected,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said. “However, prep work for the hurricanes and better port volumes likely gave tonnage an added boost during the month.”
   Looking ahead, Costello said he suspects that “short-term service disruptions from when the storms made landfall, as well as the normal ebb and flow of freight, could make September weaker and tonnage will smooth out to more moderate gains, on average.”