by Calculated Risk on 7/23/2013 02:51:00 PM

Here is a minor indicator that I follow that is at a new record high, from ATA: ATA Truck Tonnage Index Rose 0.1% in June

The American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index edged 0.1% higher in June after surging 2.1% in May. ... In June, the SA index equaled 125.9 (2000=100) versus 125.8 in May. June 2013 is the highest level on record. Compared with June 2012, the SA index surged 5.9%, which is robust, although below May’s 6.5% year-over-year gain. Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2012, the tonnage index is up 4.7%.

“The fact that tonnage didn’t fall back after the 2.1% surge in May is quite remarkable,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said. “While housing starts were down in June, tonnage was buoyed by other areas like auto production which was very strong in June and durable-goods output, which increased 0.5% during the month according to the Federal Reserve.”
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

Here is a long term graph that shows ATA's For-Hire Truck Tonnage index.

The dashed line is the current level of the index.

The index is fairly noisy, but the index is at a record high and is up solidly year-over-year.