ATA: Truck tonnage index rises again in November

The seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 2.3 percent compared with the previous month to a reading of 151.8, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA).    Domestic truck tonnage rose again in November 2017, up 2.3 percent compare with the same month a year ago, following a 3.9 percent year-over-year rise in October, according to the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index.
   ATA also revised its October monthly increase in the index up to a 3.9 percent gain from the previously reported 3.3 percent gain.
   In November, the index equaled 151.8, up from 148.4 in October. Compared with November 2016, the index jumped 7.6 percent, which was down from October’s 10.5 percent year-over-year gain. In September, the index increased 6.3 percent on a year-over-year basis. Year-to-date, compared with the same eleven months in 2016, the index is up 3.5 percent, said ATA.
   The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 147.1 in November, which was 3.1 percent below the previous month, at 151.8.
   “The freight market is really strong,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “The solid truck tonnage figures over the last four months suggest to me that this holiday spending season might be better than many expected, and the best in several years. The strength in tonnage also shows that other parts of the economy are doing well, too, including business investment, factory output, and even construction.”