The American Trucking Associations' (ATA) advance seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index climbed 2.1 percent in December, following a 2.6 percent increase in November.

The latest gain boosted the seasonally adjusted index from 106.2 (2000=100) in November to 108.4 in December, its highest level since November 2008. The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 103 in December, up 2.3 percent from the previous month.

Compared with December 2008, seasonally adjusted tonnage jumped 6.6 percent, which was the first year-over-year increase since September 2008. For all of 2009, the tonnage index was down 8.3 percent, which was the largest annual decrease since a 12.3 percent plunge in 1982.

ATA chief economist Bob Costello said that while tonnage jumped again on a month-to-month basis, the rate of increase may slow in the coming months.

Source: Truckinginfo.com, Jan. 26, 2010



1/5/2010


November Truck Tonnage Index Has Best Year-Over-Year Showing in 12 Months

The American Trucking Associations' (ATA) advance seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 2.7 percent in November, following a 0.2 percent contraction in October.

The latest gain boosted the seasonally adjusted index from 103.6 (2000=100) in October to 106.4, its highest level in a year. The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 100.8 in November, down 8.0 percent from October.

Compared with November 2008, seasonally adjusted tonnage fell 3.5 percent, which was the best year-over-year showing in 12 months. In October, the index was down 5.2 percent from a year earlier.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said tonnage is moving in the right direction. He said that November's tonnage levels were pushed higher by improved economic activity, as well as by an inventory correction that is near completion.

Backing up signs of that growth trend, consumer confidence rose in December to a three-month high, the New York-based Conference Board reported Tuesday, as retail sales last week improved 2.3 percent from a year ago. The index of 52.9 is up from a revised 50.6 in November, better than economists' forecasts of a 52.5 reading, according to published reports.

Source: Truckinginfo.com, Dec. 30, 2009



12/29/09

Big Trucks Continue Slide in October

U.S. sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks were down 26 percent in October from a year earlier to 19,840 units, continuing a nearly three-year slide in large-truck sales.

For the first 10 months of 2009, truck sales fell 33 percent to 184,952 units, compared with 274,163 units during the first 10 months of 2008.

Truck sales have declined every month since January 2007. Although sales are still down from the year-ago numbers, Class 8 sales jumped in October to 8,500 units, up from September’s 7,769. Year-to-date Class 8 sales stand at 74,380, down from 110,128 the same time a year ago.

International led all truck makers in October. Its sales slipped 14 percent to 5,786. Second place went to Freightliner, whose sales fell 13 percent to 3,937.

Sales fell for all size categories. Class 7 sales held up better than the others, falling 13 percent to 3,793 units. Class 8 sales skidded 30 percent to 8,500, and Class 6 sales fell 15 percent to 2,296. Class 4 sales were off 32 percent to 3,163. Class 5 sales dropped 29 percent to 2,088.

Source: Truckinginfo.com, Dec. 18, 2009



11/24/09


ATA Tonnage Index Continues Downward Trend

The American Trucking Associations' (ATA) advance seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index fell 0.2 percent in October, its second consecutive monthly drop. Prior to September's 0.3 percent fall, the index had increased 2.1 percent in both July and August.

The latest reading lands the index at 103.6, down from September's 103.8. (The year 2000 is the base year at 100.)

While tonnage was down 5.2 percent from the year-ago month, this is best year-over-year showing since November 2008. In September, the index was down 7.3 percent from a year earlier.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, was up 1.6 percent from September, to 109.6.

According to Bob Costello, ATA chief economist, the latest reading indicates that the recovery is still trying to gain balance, although it is on more solid ground than a year ago. The industry will experience ups and down in the months ahead, he said, but we should expect to see modest improvement.

Source: Truckinginfo.com, Nov. 24, 2009



11/12/09


Big Trucks Fall Again in September

U.S. sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks dropped 22 percent in September from a year earlier to 20,009 units, continuing a nearly three-year slide in large-truck sales.

For the first nine months of 2009, truck sales fell 33 percent to 165,112.

Truck sales have declined every month since January 2007.

Ford Motor Co. led all truckmakers in September. Its sales slipped 8 percent to 5,228.

Second place went to International, whose sales fell 21 percent to 4,499.

Freightliner was third. Its sales plummeted 27 percent to 3,537.

Sales fell for all size categories.

Class 7 sales held up better than the others, off just 3 percent to 3,428.

Class 8 sales skidded 29 percent to 7,769, and Class 6 sales fell 30 percent to 2,000.

Class 4 sales slid 17 percent to 4,999.

Class 5 sales fell 25 percent to 1,813.

Source: Truckinginfo.com, Nov. 11, 2009



10/15/09


Big Trucks Dip 26.4 Percent in August

Sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in the U.S. plummeted 26.4 percent in August from a year earlier to 18,094 units. Large truck sales have fallen every month since February 2007.

Truck sales in the first eight months slipped 34.7 percent to 145,103.

In August, truck sales fell in every weight class.

Sales of Class 8 trucks, the largest weight category, fell 33.3 percent to 7,151. Sales of Class 7 trucks declined 11.5 percent to 2,981. Class 6 sales dropped 44.3 percent to 1,531. Class 5 sales skidded 31.4 percent to 1,930. Class 4 truck sales eased 8.4 percent to 4,501.

Ford Motor Co. led all makers, as its August sales slipped 7.0 percent to 4,643. A year earlier, Ford had ranked No. 3.

Ford's sales fell by more than half for classes 5 and 6 but rose 14.9 percent for Class 4 to 3,706.

International ranked second among truck makers with sales of 4,050, down 23.8 percent. Its Class 7 sales rose 17.2 percent to 1,217, but its sales of classes 5 and 6 slid about 40 percent and its Class 4 sales slumped 77.2 percent to 39.

Freightliner placed third. Its sales tumbled 40.1 percent to 3,001. Its Class 7 sales edged up 2.1 percent to 880, but its Class 3 and 4 sales collapsed 93.2 percent to 29. Class 8s were its largest sellers, off 40.4 percent to 1,870.

Source: Truckinginfo.com, Oct. 13, 2009



09/17/09


July Trucks Fall 26.7 Percent, 2 1/2-Year Slump Continues

U.S. sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in July dropped 26.7 percent compared with July 2008 to 19,585, continuing a two and a half-year slide.

Sales of large trucks last increased on a year-over-year basis in January 2007.

July's fall was the smallest in percentage terms this year. Even so, the latest drop left sales for the first seven months down 35.7 percent from the year-earlier period to 127,009.

Sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks are considered by some to be a leading economic indicator. The continued skid suggests the economy is not rebounding.

Sales slipped in all size categories. Class 8 trucks, the largest, fell 32.9 percent in July to 7,503. Class 7 sales dropped 18.1 percent to 3,098, Class 6 sales slid 27.2 percent to 1,855, Class 5 sales plummeted 40.0 percent to 1,806, and Class 4 sales tumbled 14.1 percent to 5,323.

Ford Motor Co. retained its No. 1 spot among truck makers, with its sales dipping 15.5 percent in July to 5,607. Sales at No. 2 International fell 17.3 percent to 4,411. Sales at No. 3 Freightliner stumbled 38.5 percent to 2,990.

Source: Truckinginfo.com, Sept. 16, 2009



08/27/09


Class 8 Sales Down 32.9 Percent in July

Sales of Class 8 trucks were down 32.9 percent in July 2009 from July 2008, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Overall, sales of Class 4-8 trucks dropped 26.7 percent in July, and have not seen a boost year-over-year since January 2007, reports Automotive News.

Class 8 sales settled at 7,503 during the month of July, down from 11,174 in July 2008. For the first seven months of this year, sales of heavy-duty trucks were at 50,960, a 33.3 percent fall from the same period of 2008, when sales amounted to 76,442 units.

Meanwhile, Class 4-8 saw sales of 127,009 units for the first seven months, compared to 197,635 for the year-ago period, a decline of 35.7 percent, according to the news service's data.

All of the Class 8 manufacturers saw negative numbers in July, with heavy-duty sales at Freightliner down 36.2 percent, International down 23.6 percent, Kenworth down 21.4 percent, Mack down 29.1 percent, Peterbilt down 30.6 percent, Sterling down 57.4 percent, Volvo down 52.7 percent and Western Star down 41.9 percent.

Source: TruckingInfo.com, Aug. 27, 2009

Truck Tonnage Rises 2.1 Percent in July

The American Trucking Associations' (ATA) advanced seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index was up 2.1 percent in July, raising the index to 101.9. While the increase was a welcome change from June's decline of 2.4 percent, it was not enough to make up for June's loss.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, was down 0.9 percent from June, to 106.3.

From July 2008, tonnage slipped 10.4 percent, the best year-over-year showing since February 2009. June’s 13.6 percent decline from 2008 was the largest year-over-year decline of the current cycle, exceeding the 13.2 percent fall in April.

Bob Costello, ATA chief economist, had expected truck tonnage to be volatile in the months ahead.

Source: TruckingInfo.com, Aug. 27, 2009



07/02/09


May Truck Tonnage Falls 11 Percent, Month-to-Month Level Rises

Truck tonnage decreased 11 percent in May compared with a year ago, but increased from April, American Trucking Associations (ATA) said late last week.

The decline in the for-hire seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index left tonnage at a reading of 102.3. Even though the decrease was smaller than April’s 13.2 percent year-over-year decline, May’s decrease is still “historically large,” ATA said.

The index rose 3.2 percent from April, the first month-to-month increase since February, ATA said. Without accounting for seasonal adjustment, the index gained 0.4 percent from April, but the improvement was not enough to offset the 6.7 percent cumulative reduction from March and April.

ATA chief economist Bob Costello said that though the monthly increase was encouraging, tonnage will not likely see a surge anytime soon.

ATA calculates the tonnage each month based on reports by its member trucking companies.

Source: Transport Topics, June 29, 2009

06/25/09


May Class 8 Truck Sales Drop 39 Percent

Heavy-duty U.S. truck sales continued their severe slide into a fifth month, as retail volume fell 39 percent in May, while the year-to-date total now lags the pace of last year by 33.9 percent, according to WardsAuto.com.

And manufacturer order boards for new trucks remain lightly populated, essentially killing off a once-commonly held theory that there might be a small-scale pre-buy ahead of the Jan. 1 change in federal emission rules.

Separately, ACT Research Co., Columbus, Ind., said June 15 that an analysis of orders and other factors led it to predict that heavy-duty truck sales would fall 43 percent this year from their 2008 level. While the company predicted some growth in 2010, ACT researchers estimated sales next year also would fall below 2008, which was generally considered a poor year, with Ward’s reporting 133,473 Class 8 trucks sold.

Original equipment manufacturers and their dealers sold 6,955 Class 8 vehicles in May, down from 11,400 in May 2008. For the first five months this year, sales have totaled 35,451 trucks, down from 53,631 last year, Ward’s said in its June 10 survey.

Source: Transport Topics, June 22, 2009



06/04/09


Sales of Big Trucks Fall in April

Sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in the United States in April fell at their fastest rate of the year, dropping 44.5 percent from a year earlier to 17,612. That came on top of a 13.1 percent fall in April 2008.

Through April, truck sales have tumbled 37.0 percent to 70,635.

Medium- and heavy-duty truck sales have dropped every month since January 2007.

Class 4 medium-duty trucks dropped the least, skidding 31.6 percent to 4,116. Class 5 trucks slid 59.6 percent to 1,806.

Class 6 trucks plunged 49.8 percent to 1,957, and Class 7 trucks fell 42.7 percent to 3,069. Sales of the largest trucks, Class 8, fell 44.4 percent to 6,664.

International's sales dropped less than those of its rivals, making it the No. 1 brand for the month. International's sales slumped 31.1 percent to 4,440.

No. 2 Ford Motor Co.'s sales slid 32.7 percent to 4,352. No. 3 Freightliner's sales tumbled 49.7 percent to 3,042.

Kenworth, at No. 4, was the only other brand to sell more than 1,000 trucks. Its sales declined 47.2 percent to 1,011. No. 5 Peterbilt's sales skidded 51.8 percent to 990.