Over the last week, the U.S. has been seeing some economic indicators that are cause for celebration, especially for the trucking industry.


Friday, the Department of Labor announced that 162,000 jobs had been added in March. Of the 7,800 new transportation and warehousing sector jobs added, the for-hire trucking sector accounted for 600 new positions, said Bob Costello, the American Trucking Associations' chief economist, in his Weekly Economic Recap. While January and March saw a combined 1,400 rise in trucking jobs, payrolls were down 3,000 in February.

Other industries that saw a boost in jobs included construction (15,000), manufacturing (17,000), wholesale trade (9,000), retail trade (14,900), education and health services (45,000), government (39,000), and temporary help services (40,200). The unemployment rate remained unchanged in March at 9.7 percent.

"The actions this administration has undertaken are providing relief to the jobless and encouraging new hiring in the private sector," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "However, we know that we still have a ways to go before we can be sure that all Americans have access to good jobs, and we will continue working toward that goal."

According to a report from the Institute for Supply Management, manufacturing was up in March, as the group's index of manufacturing activity (PMI) jumped to 59.6 percent in March. This is the highest it has been since July 2004, Costello said. Index levels above 50 percent represent growth in the sector.

The U.S. Census Bureau also reported that new factory orders were up 0.6 percent in February after a 2.5 percent boost in January.