ATA Truck Tonnage Index Unchanged in December, Up 3.5% for 2014

American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index was unchanged in December, following a jump of 3.5% during the previous month.

In December, the index equaled 136.8 (2000=100), which tied November as the all-time high. Compared with December 2013, the SA index increased 5.2%, which was the largest year-over-year gain in 2014. For the entire year, tonnage was up 3.5%.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 133.5 in December which was 6.1% above the previous month (125.8).

“Economic data was mixed in December, with retail sales down 0.9% and factory output up 0.3%, so tonnage was in-between those two readings, which are two large drivers of truck freight,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello.

“Overall, 2014 was a good year for truck tonnage with significant gains throughout the year after falling 4.5% in January alone.” Costello said that in December, tonnage was 10.2% above January. “Freight volumes look good going into 2015,” Costello said. “Expect an acceleration in consumer spending and factory output to offset the weakness in hydraulic fracking this year.”

Category: Featured, General Update