ATA Truck Tonnage Index dipped slightly in April

ARLINGTON, VA -- The American Trucking Associations' advance seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 0.7 percent in April after gaining a revised 1.9 percent in March 2011.

Compared with April 2010, SA tonnage climbed 4.8 percent. In March, the tonnage index was 6.5 percent above a year earlier.

"The drop in April is not a concern," ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said. "I expect economic activity, and with it truck freight levels to grow at a moderate pace in the coming months and quarters."

Costello added that the industry and the economy at large should benefit with recent declines in oil and diesel prices.