NEW YORK (AP) -- Total goods carried by trucks in the U.S. fell in July compared with the previous month, marking the first month-over-month decline since April, a major industry trade group said.
The American Trucking Associations' seasonally adjusted tonnage index, which measures the weight of freight hauled by U.S. truckers based on membership surveys, fell 0.3 percent in July.
ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello predicts that truck tonnage could be volatile in the next few months, as the economy is expected to weaken further, but lower fuel prices and capacity might buoy demand.
The Arlington, Va.-based trucking group's members include United Parcel Service Inc. and Knight Transportation Inc.
Trucking serves as a gauge of U.S. economy health, hauling about 70 percent of manufactured and retail goods.
