ATA: Truck tonnage surges to 3-year high

Trucking activity in the United States jumped in February, pushing tonnage levels to the highest point in three years, according to new for-hire truck tonnage data from American Trucking Associations.

Specifically, truck freight tonnage increased 2.6% after gaining 0.7% in January, ATA reported.

“February’s robust gain is great to see, but the size of the gain is likely magnified due to lower industry capacity,” Bob Costello, ATA chief economist, said in a news release. “With that said, particularly after a very prolonged freight recession, improving volumes in any manner is welcomed.”

In February, ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 116.2, up from 113.3 in January. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, increased 2.1% from the same month in 2025, the largest year-over-year gain since October 2022. During the first two months of the year, tonnage was up 1.4% from the same period last year. In 2025, the tonnage index was flat compared to the 2024 average.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 106.9 in February, 1.5% below January’s reading of 108.5.

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 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.