Truck tonnage index rose 0.2% in August, ATA says

Truckers hauled slightly more freight in August than July, according to a measure produced by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), but the measure remained well below its level in August of 2022.

By the numbers, ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 0.2% in August after rising 1.1% in July. But compared with August 2022, the SA index fell 2.3%, which was the sixth straight year-over-year decrease.

“The evidence is growing that tonnage hit bottom in April and continues its slow climb upwards,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a release. “However, year-over-year comparisons remain difficult as tonnage peaked in September of last year. As a result, it is unlikely that tonnage turns positive compared with a year earlier for at least a month or two longer. Most recently, freight continues to be mixed, with consumer spending and factory output flat to down.”