Truck tonnage in June was 7.8% higher than a year ago, and finished the first half of 2018 up 7.9%.
American Trucking Associations reported the seasonally adjusted for-hire tonnage index was 113 for June, down 0.4% from May. However, the six-month figured far surpassed the 3.8% gain in 2017.
“In the second quarter, we saw the tonnage index jump 1.8% from the previous quarter and 8.4% from a year earlier,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “This robust growth fits with what is likely to be a very strong [gross domestic product] reading for the second quarter. I expect the growth in tonnage to moderate, but remain at very high levels in the months ahead.”
The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 116.3 in June, which was 1.1% below the previous month.
In a separate report, DAT said spot truckload rates fell during the week ended July 21, as the overall number of loads posted on DAT load board fell 5.5% and capacity increased 1.3%.
