ARLINGTON, VA — The weight of the loads U.S. truckers haul is getting heavier, according to the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA).

The ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 1.3 percent in July, following a decrease of 0.8 percent the previous month.

In July, the index was130.2, compared to 128.6 in June and is off just 0.6 percent from the all-time high in November 2013 of 131.

“After a surprising decrease in June, tonnage really snapped back in July,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “This gain fits more with the anecdotal reports we are hearing from motor carriers that freight volumes are good.”

Compared with July 2013, the seasonally adjusted index increased 3.6 percent, the largest year-over-year increase in three months, up from June’s 2.3 percent year-over-year gain. Year-to-date, compared with the same period last year, tonnage is up 2.9 percent.

Costello said he expects moderate, but good tonnage growth for the rest of 2014.

The ATA has been calculating tonnage index based on surveys from its membership since the 1970s.