Trucking industry sees 13-year high

DAYTON, Ohio (Dayton Business Journal) - December was a banner month for the trucking industry.

On Tuesday, The American Trucking Associations’ announced its truck tonnage index jumped 6.8 percent in December over the previous month — the largest month-to-month increase since January 2005 — while tonnage for the month was 10.5 percent higher than December 2010, marking the largest year-over-year gain since July 1998.

“While I’m not surprised that tonnage increased in December, I am surprised at the magnitude of the gain,” said Bob Costello, ATA Chief Economist. “Not only did truck tonnage increase due to solid manufacturing output in December, but also from some likely inventory restocking.”

ATA also reported that for all of 2011, tonnage rose 5.9 percent, the largest annual increase in 13 years.

Trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 67.2 percent of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled 9 billion tons of freight in 2010. Motor carriers collected $563.4 billion, or 81.2 percent of total revenue earned by all transport modes.

The Dayton area has long been a hub for trucking companies because of its central Midwest location and the intersection of Interstates 75 and 70. The industry also serves many companies that have chosen to build in the region because of the access to highways.

The area is home to numerous regional and national trucking companies including ABF Freight Systems, which employs 630 people in Huber Heights and is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corp., as well as Dayton Freight Lines Inc. and Holland Inc., a subsidiary of YRC Worldwide Inc.