ATA: Seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index unchanged in December

According to the American Trucking Association, truck tonnage increased 3.5 percent for 2014.    Domestic truck tonnage remained the same in December, after increasing 3.5 percent in November, according to the American Trucking Association’s advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. December and November 2014 were tied for the record high of the index.
   The not seasonally adjusted index, however, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, rose 6.1 percent in December.
   Year-over-year, the seasonally adjusted index rose by 5.2 percent in December, the highest year-over-year gain in 2014, and tonnage increased 3.5 percent for the entire year.
   ATA’s chief economist, Bob Costello, said “Economic data was mixed in December, with retail sales down 0.9 percent and factory output up 0.3 percent, so tonnage was in-between those two readings, which are two large drivers of truck freight. Overall, 2014 was a good year for truck tonnage with significant gains throughout the year after falling 4.5% in January alone.
   “Freight volumes look good going into 2015,” Costello added. “Expect an acceleration in consumer spending and factory output to offset the weakness in hydraulic fracking this year.”