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September 27, 2006 1:00 PM, EDT

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merican Trucking Associations said Tuesday its preliminary August for-hire truck tonnage index dropped 2.1%, following a rise of 0.7% in July.

The gain put the seasonally adjusted index at 110.9 or 2% below the same month last year. The not seasonally adjusted index jumped 6.8% from July to 116.5.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello attributed the slump in part to a declining housing market.

“The dramatic fall in the housing sector in recent months impacted August truck tonnage, specifically flatbed freight,” Costello said. “Although there is not as much flatbed tonnage as dry van tonnage, a slowdown in flatbed freight weighed down the overall figure.”

ATA’s economics department calculates the monthly index based on surveys of its members.