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Dayton
Business Journal...
U.S.
trucking industry sees monthly
rebound
by David Twiddy
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
U.S.
trucking companies saw freight
levels rebound slightly in September, furthering analysts’ belief that
the U.S.
economy may still steer clear of a second recession, according to the
latest
data from the American Trucking Associations.
The
trade group’s truck tonnage index
increased 1.6 percent last month after declining a revised 0.5 percent
in
August. ATA’s advance, seasonally adjusted index of for-hire truck
tonnage
initially showed a 0.2 percent drop in August.
The
index now stands at 115.8, up from
114 in August. The year 2000 equals 100 on the index.
“I
continue to believe the economy
will skirt another recession because truck tonnage isn’t showing signs
that we
are in a recession,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a
release.
“Tonnage is suggesting that we are in a weak growth period for the
economy, but
not a recession.”
He
also noted that the overall average
in the third quarter showed a 0.4 percent gain from the second quarter,
exhibiting gains — albeit small — in the larger economy.
“Prior
to the two previous recessions,
truck tonnage was plummeting, but not this time,” he said.
Compared
with September 2010, the
index was up 5.9 percent.
Trucking
tends to be a barometer of
the U.S. economy because it handles 67.2 percent of tonnage carried by
all
modes of domestic freight transportation. Last year, trucks hauled 9
billion
tons of freight and collected $563.4 billion — more than 81 percent of
total
revenue for all modes of transportation.
The
Dayton area has long been a hub
for trucking companies because of its central Midwest location and the
intersection of Interstates 75 and 70. The industry also serves many
companies
that have chosen to build in the region because of the access to
highways.
The
area is home to numerous regional
and national trucking companies including ABF Freight Systems, which
employs
630 people in Huber Heights and is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas
Best
Corp. ,
as well as Dayton Freight
Lines Inc. and
Holland Inc., a
subsidiary of YRC Worldwide Inc.
Read
this and other articles at Dayton
Business Journal
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