Truck Tonnage Index Plunged 2.7 Percent in August--ATA

Another sign of how depressed the real economy is. The American Trucking Association reported that truck tonnage decreased in August. Furthermore, the ATA expects the economy to remain weak for the rest of the year. From the ATA:

The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index fell 2.7 percent in August, which was the largest month-to-month decrease since March 2009. The latest drop lowered the SA index from 110 (2000=100) in July to 106.9 in August.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 113.5 in August, up 3.2 percent from the previous month.

Compared with August 2009, SA tonnage climbed 2.9 percent, which was well below July’s 7.4 percent year-over-year gain. Year-to-date, tonnage is up 6.2 percent compared with the same period in 2009.

Black Swan Insights

Truck Tonnage Index Plunged 2.7 Percent in August--ATA