AMERICAN Trucking Associations' (ATA) advanced seasonally (SA) adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index was down 2.3 per cent in March after decreasing 1.5 per cent in February. In March, the index equalled 113.2 compared with 115.8 in February.
ATA chief economist Bob Costello said: 'In March, and really the first quarter in total, tonnage was negatively impacted by bad winter storms throughout much of the US.
'While I expected tonnage to moderate in the first quarter, the late Easter holiday and the winter storms made it worse. It is likely that tonnage will improve in the second quarter, although year-over-year gains will be significantly below the 2018 annual increase of 6.7 per cent.'
Compared with March 2018, the SA index increased 1.6 per cent, down from February's 3.9 per cent gain. During the first quarter, tonnage was up 3.8 per cent from the same period in 2018, according to AJOT.
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ATA chief economist Bob Costello said: 'In March, and really the first quarter in total, tonnage was negatively impacted by bad winter storms throughout much of the US.
'While I expected tonnage to moderate in the first quarter, the late Easter holiday and the winter storms made it worse. It is likely that tonnage will improve in the second quarter, although year-over-year gains will be significantly below the 2018 annual increase of 6.7 per cent.'
Compared with March 2018, the SA index increased 1.6 per cent, down from February's 3.9 per cent gain. During the first quarter, tonnage was up 3.8 per cent from the same period in 2018, according to AJOT.
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