Trucking Volume Collapses, Falls Most Month To Month Since March 2009

[dixiegrrrrl]

Yikes. And just before holiday season, when trucking should be picking up.

"Truck tonnage may have increased 2.9% year-over-year in August,
but the collapse in month-over-month levels is much more illuminating.

Tonnage fell by 2.7% from July to August, according to the American Trucking Association.
That's the biggest month over month fall since March 2009.

The chief economist at the ATA, Bob Costelo, says this slowdown was expected and that it should be slowing further with the economy for the remainder of the year."


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/truck-tonnage-august-2010-9#ixzz10vWDrpJT

[sonomak]

1. Memo to unemployed college grads: Don't enroll in trucking school

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Anyone live around Chicago, or near an area where shipping containers are piling up???

I was struck by this comment in the news link:

"Take a trip up to Chicago (HWY 55) and behold the miles-of-piles of containers on the side of the road."

[hunter]

3. There's our retirement housing!

If we're lucky we get actual shipping container homes (thedailygreen.com).

If we're not lucky they pack us in like sardines and ship us out to the Soylent Green factory.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Such an optimist.

:evilgrin:

[Greyhound]

5. In 5, 4, 3, 2...

[BoWanZi]

6. My buddy works for Fed Ex freight shipping and said its getting really bad

He has always said that trucking freight is a good early indicator of the economy. If the freight drops a lot, it shows that companies aren't producing much since things aren't good out there.

He is extremely worried about his job now. The company said that they are cutting like 1700 jobs and closing terminals. Ouch.