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In October, the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 0.8 percent from September’s level to 109.7 after rising a revised 1.8 percent the previous month.

On a year-over-year basis, tonnage climbed 6 percent, bettering September’s 5.3 percent gain. Through 2010’s first 10 months, tonnage rose 6.1 percent compared with the same 2009 period.

October’s non-seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by truck fleets before any seasonal adjustment, was 112.9, up 0.3 percent month over month.

“October tonnage levels were at the highest level in three months, even after accounting for typical seasonal shipping patterns,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello in a prepared statement. “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.”