American Trucking Associations

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, for November, came in at 114.7 (2015=100), down 2.5% compared to October’s 117.6 reading, and eked out a 0.8% annual increase, marking its 15th consecutive annual monthly gain. 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 114.6 in November, down 4.6% compared to October’s 120.2 reading.

Coming out of the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, trucking industry activity looked more like it did in pre-pandemic times, to be sure. That is backed up by some key data points, in the form of the “American Trucking Associations’ Trucking Trends 2022,” which was released earlier this month.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, for September, came in at 118.8 (2015=100), for a 0.5% increase. And 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 119 in September, a 3.8% decline compared to August.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently pledged the Biden administration’s support for increasing the availability of safe parking options for America’s professional truck drivers through its Trucking Action Plan. That grants funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and increases coordination with state departments of transportation and the trucking industry.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, for August, came in at 119 (2015=100), for a 2.8% increase on the heels of a 1.5% July decline.

Pay for American truckers rose significantly in 2021 as demand for drivers amid the ongoing driver shortage increased competition for talent. That’s according to the results of a new industry survey commissioned by the American Trucking Associations (ATA). ATA estimated there is a shortage of 80,000 drivers among the 3 million holders of a Commercial Driver’s License.

For the first time in quite a while, Washington is in the chips. Computer semiconductor chips, that is. Congress late last week passed a bipartisan $280 billion package of subsidies and research funding to increase America’s international competitiveness in the high-tech sector. It is designed to make the U.S. less dependent on Taiwan for production of the ubiquitous wee chips that are critical to U.S. competitiveness.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, for June, came in at 120.1 (2015=100), rising 2.7%, following a 0.3% (downwardly revised from 0.5%) May increase.

Two other industry associations—the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA)—have also penned letters to the White House to make their positions clear on the importance of getting this current situation resolved.

President Biden said is proposed gas tax holiday alone is not going to fix the problem of record-high prices, but noted that it will provide families some immediate relief, give them a little bit of breathing room, in an effort to bring down prices for the long haul.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, for May, came in at 117.1 (2015=100), following a 1.4% April decline, which was upwardly revised from an original reading of a 2% decrease. SA tonnage was up 1.8% in March.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, for April, came in at 115.8 (2015=100), falling 2% on the heels of a 1.8% March gain (this reading was downwardly revised from an original 2.4% increase).

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued a notice of intent to solicit comments that the agency will use to inform a supplementary notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM), which will include a proposal to amend the regulations and set a speed limit. It would affect trucks weighing more than 26,001 pounds.

The White House went into overdrive at an April 4 event to showcase President Joe Biden’s working-class roots as well as his administration’s progress in easing the truck driver shortage and unclogging supply chains. Biden hosted the event at the White House along with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Nine professional truck drivers and nearly two dozen CEOs from companies aligned with the American Trucking Associations were in attendance.

The ATA’s advanced Seasonally Adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, for February, matched February, at 115.3 (2015=100), which was slightly revised from an initial reading of 115.5. January saw a 0.6% increase and was preceded by a 0.9% gain in December, to finish 2021.