The American Trucking Associations' advance seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 0.8 percent in October after increasing a revised 1.8 percent in September.

The latest gain put the SA index at 109.7 (2000=100) in October from 108.9 in September.

Compared with October 2009, seasonally adjusted tonnage climbed 6 percent, which was better than September's 5.3 percent year-over-year gain. Year-to-date, tonnage is up 6.1 percent compared with the same period in 2009.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said that truck tonnage changes over the last couple months shows there are some bright spots in the U.S. economy.

"October tonnage levels were at the highest level in three months, even after accounting for typical seasonal shipping patterns," Costello said. "These gains fit with reports out of both the manufacturing and retail sectors and show there is a little bit of life in this economic recovery. "

The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 112.9 in October, up 0.3 percent from the previous month.

ATA calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership and has been doing so since the 1970s. This is a preliminary figure and subject to change in the final report issued around the 10th day of the month.