March Truck Tonnage Up & Home Sales Down

With capacity issues becoming more and more evident, Transport Topics and the American Trucking Association (ATA) recently reported that the March truck tonnage index was up 3.1% over March 2013. The ATA's Chief Economist, Bob Costello, said “Tonnage continued to claw its way out of the hole that was dug in December and January. However, with a cumulative gain of 2.5% during the last two months, we still have a way to go to offset the total loss of 5.2% in December and January."

The brutal winter weather in the US this year coupled with the trucking industry's driver shortage, tightened government regulations, and even a shortage of diesel mechanics contributes to lower than expected US truck tonnage reported for December 2013 and January 2014. 

Meanwhile, according to the Department of Commerce, new home sales in the US dropped to its lowest level in 8 months. The worst decline in home sales was in the Midwest which saw a 21.5% drop.  

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