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Jan 29, 2007 9:11 AM

The American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index jumped 3.9 percent in December after falling 3.6 percent in November.

"Clearly the fall freight season is changing," said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “The robust 3.9 percent month-to-month gain in December, the largest monthly increase since a 7.3 percent surge in January 2005, is the result of more shipments later in the fall freight season than what we typically saw in the not-too-distant past. As retailers sell more merchandise in January due to the proliferation of gift card giving, this trend is likely to continue in the years ahead.

"The increase from November was solid, but tonnage was still off 5.5 percent from December 2005. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that year-over-year comparisons are difficult due to the boom in heavy-construction freight during the fall of 2005 as the rebuilding of the hurricane-struck areas in the Gulf Coast commenced."

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the tonnage index increased to 110.9 from 106.8 in November. Still, the index decreased 5.5 percent compared with a year earlier, although this was an improvement from November’s 8.8 percent year-over-year plunge. While subject to revision once the final numbers are released, the truck tonnage index was down 3 percent, compared with 2005. The not seasonally adjusted index decreased 6.3 percent from November to 99.8.