Truck tonnage ends 2021 with gains, reports ATA

Truck tonnage readings finished 2021 with gains, according to data issued today by the American Trucking Associations (ATA).

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, for December, at 114.7 (2015=100), saw a 1% increase, following a 0.5% November gain, to 113.5.

On an annual basis, SA tonnage was up 1.4%, marking the fourth consecutive annual increase, following a 1.6% annual gain in November. For all of 2021, SA tonnage was up 0.3% annually, whereas 2020 saw a 4% annual decrease.

The ATA’s not seasonally-adjusted (NSA) index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by fleets before any seasonal adjustment and the metric ATA says fleets should benchmark their levels with, came in at 113.9 (2015=100), 0.1% ahead of November’s 113.8.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello:

“December’s gain was the fifth straight totaling 4.4%. In December, tonnage reached the highest level since March, but it was still 2.7% below the pre-pandemic high. This is likely due to the fact ATA’s data is dominated by contract freight. Contractor truckload carriers operated fewer trucks in 2021 compared with 2020 and it is difficult to haul significantly more tonnage with fewer trucks. But overall, we have seen a nice trend up that is reflective of a still growing goods-economy.”