Despite the latest adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index for December indicating its highest level since September 2008, freight improvement continues to be choppy, according to feedback the American Trucking Associations are receiving from fleets. That trend is expected to continue through the first half of the year, but accelerate through the second half and into 2012. ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership. The report Continue Reading

According to the latest numbers from the American Trucking Associations’ seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, the economy is slowing and is expected to remain sluggish through the end of the year. But the ATA’s chief economist, Bob Costello, says that the trucking industry has changed “dramatically for the better,” even despite the largest month-to-month drop–2.7 percent–since March 2009. Costello says that carriers can now do better with small increases in demand, particularly since equipment supply was thinned during the recession. The base year for ATA’s index is Continue Reading

Trucking industry analysts have voiced repeated assurances that the economy is getting better. Even improvements, though slight, are regarded as the slow but steady trend to recovery. But a recent CBS News Poll indicates that not all Americans feel so optimistic. Their outlook, according to the data, shows 34 percent believe things are getting worse. The housing market has fallen into the summer months, and banks and lending institutions continue to be tight with credit. Such a picture has prompted financial analysts to predict another stimulus program by the Continue Reading

Truck tonnage continues to rise, albeit slowly, in the United States, but one economist said even moderate gains will have a greater impact on the industry now than in the past. The latest figures from the American Trucking Associations (ATA) show that freight rose 1.5 percent for July, a 7.4 percent improvement from July 2009. This marked the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year increases. Moderate gains like these are expected through the Continue Reading