Tonnage dropped 0.2% in June

Tonnage fell 0.2% in June after a revised 0.7% jump in May, according to the Truck Tonnage Index published by the American Trucking Assns. (ATA). June 2005 data marks a 0.3% improvement over the same month last year.

For the first six months of 2005 tonnage was 2.7% higher than the same period last year, which is slightly below ATA’s forecast that 2005 tonnage will improve by 3 to 3.5% compared with 2004.

Truckload carriers, which represent over 95% of for-hire tonnage, experienced the bulk of the freight softness, according to ATA chief economist Bob Costello. However, both truckload and less-than-truckload carriers continued to report large revenue gains in recent months, he noted.