American Trucking Associations' seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 1.9% in October following a slight decrease in September.

The index equaled 135.7 for the month, up from the 133.1 number in September, and just short of the all-time index high of 135.8 reached in January 2015. Though it was originally reported that the Index increased in September by 0.9%, ATA later revised that number down to a decrease of 0.7%.

“It was good to see tonnage increase nicely in October after contracting a total of 1.6% in August and September,” said Bob Costello, ATA chief economist. “However, tonnage has been overall pretty flat this year, as October’s reading is just shy of January’s level.”

Compared with the same month a year ago, the index is up 2% which is slightly better than the year-over-year increase of 1.6% from September. When not seasonally adjusted, the October index equalled 139.8, reflecting the actual change in tonnage hauled by fleets in the month.

Costello also voiced concern about inventories. While the Tonnage Index was just shy of its all-time high, increasing inventories in the supply chain could affect freight volumes.

“We recently learned that inventories throughout the supply chain and relative to sales rose in September, which is not a good sign,” said Costello. “This will have a negative impact on truck freight volumes over the next few months.”