The American Trucking Association reported Tuesday that its advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) for-hire truck tonnage index rose 0.5 percent in February after falling 4.6 percent in January. Compared with February 2011, the SA index was up 5.5 percent, better than January's 3.1 percent increase.
The ATA's Chief Economist Bob Costello commented that February's month-to-month increase was the sixth in the last seven months, and "I'm still expecting continued truck tonnage growth going forward. Rising manufacturing activity and temperate consumer spending should be helped a little from an improving housing market," he said.