ATA: Truck tonnage posts rare gain in August

Trucking activity in the United States increased again in August, pushing the level up to the highest point since December 2023. Specifically, truck freight tonnage rose 0.9% after gaining 1.1% in July, according to the American Trucking Associations’ latest advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index.

“The good news is that truck freight volumes had a nice end of the summer,” Bob Costello, ATA chief economist, said in a news release. “However, while I’d like to predict a strong rebound in freight levels through the upcoming holidays, I can’t. I believe traditional seasonal patterns are off this year as shippers adjust to tariffs. Plus, housing remains soft, the slowing labor market is likely to show up in consumer spending at some point, and most manufacturing metrics are either decelerating or declining.”

In August, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 115.3, up from 114.3 in July. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, rose 0.4% from the same month last year after increasing 0.5% in July. Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2024, tonnage was up 0.1%, ATA said.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 117.7 in August, 0.3% above July’s reading of 117.4.

Trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 72.7% of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled an estimated 11.27 billion tons of freight in 2024. Motor carriers collected $906 billion, or 76.9% of total revenue earned by all transport modes.

Both indices are dominated by contract freight, as opposed to traditional spot market freight. The tonnage index is calculated on surveys from its membership and has been doing so since the 1970s.