Trucking tonnage down in February, but the industry continues to grow

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) recently announced that the For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index dropped 2.9 percent in February.

Officials told the news source that the decrease may be attributed to the slew of winter storms that hit the U.S. during the month. They added that the decline does not dampen the overall positive trend the industry is experiencing. For example, compared to February 2010, tonnage was up 4.2 percent and has increased by 7.6 over the last year.

"Tonnage is not going to increase every month and in general I am very pleased with freight volumes early this year," Bob Costello, ATA chief economist. "I am hearing a significant amount of positive news from fleets and that the largest concern continues to be the price of diesel fuel, not freight levels."

Safety directors may wish to enroll their drivers in CDL training to help them stay up to date on the latest trends in trucking safety.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities in transportation and material moving occupations are expected to increase by nearly 13 percent over the next seven years, which equates to more than 1,400 available jobs.

By Mark Priest

Trucking tonnage down in February, but the industry continues to grow

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011