The Small Business Research Board's Transportation Small Business Confidence Index dropped to 35 during the fourth quarter of 2007.

The T-SBCI of 35 was lower than the two recorded industry confidence indexes completed during the second quarter of last year and the final quarter of 2006. The T-SBCI was 45.7 when first reported in the fourth quarter of 2006 and then reached 50.67 when recorded during the second quarter of 2007, according to the studies co-sponsored by International Profit Associates.
Concern about the direction of the economy and modest hiring plans, two key indicators comprising the small business industry confidence index, contributed to the lower T-SBCI.
During the fourth quarter of 2007, only 29 percent of the owners and managers responding to the study said they expect improvement in the economy during the next 12 months. Concurrently, only 19 percent of the participants said they plan to increase hiring during the same period.
The majority of owners and managers, however, said they believe revenues will improve, with 60 percent expecting them to increase during the year.
The current transportation industry confidence index is 1.33 points higher than the 33.67 reported for all U.S. small businesses during the fourth quarter of last year.
More than 950 small business owners participated in the nationwide poll. The universe of participants is developed from among small businesses across the United States. The SBRB study is a voluntary survey conducted quarterly.