Trucking tonnage shows dramatic increases in December

The American Trucking Association recently released its seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, which found tonnage increased nearly 6 percent in 2011, compared to the previous year.

The index also showed tonnage increased nearly 7 percent in December, while gains only totaled 0.3 percent in November, showing extreme growth during the holiday season.

"Not only did truck tonnage increase due to solid manufacturing output in December, but also from some likely inventory restocking," said Bob Costello, chief economist for the ATA. "Inventories, especially at the retail level, are exceedingly lean, and I suspect that tonnage was higher than expected as the supply chain did some restocking during the month."  

With the growth of the trucking industry indicative of the state of the economy, the increased tonnage towards the end of 2011 could represent an economic upswing for the United States. The increased tonnage could require more truckers with the necessary CDL training to join the workforce.

The increase in tonnage gives the industry its strongest rate since 1998, which, according to the Journal of Commerce, demonstrates the strength of the U.S. manufacturing and domestic freight industries.

Trucking tonnage shows dramatic increases in December

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012