US trucking activity inches upward
Key Highlights
- The ATA For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased by 0.1% in June, following a 3.2% decline in May, indicating a tentative stabilization.
- The second quarter saw a 4.1% contraction in tonnage, reflecting a slowdown in freight volumes despite a resilient overall economy.
- The tonnage index decreased by 0.1% compared to June 2025, marking a shift after five consecutive year-over-year gains.
Trucking activity in the United States rose 0.1% in June after decreasing 3.2% in May, according to the American Trucking Associations’ latest advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index.
“While tonnage was little changed during June, there was a definite weakening in volumes during the second quarter as the index contracted a total of 4.1% during April and May,” Bob Costello, ATA’s chief economist, said in a news release. “After five straight year-over-year gains, tonnage has now contracted from year-earlier levels for the last two months. While the U.S. economy remains on solid footing overall, the freight economy isn’t as strong.
“With that said, the decrease in capacity over the last year probably has fleets feeling a little better than volumes would suggest.”
In June, ATA’s For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 113.1. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, decreased 0.1% from the same month in 2025, which was better than May’s 0.7% drop, the association reported. During the first half of the year, tonnage was up 1.4% from the same period last year thanks to strength in the first quarter. 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 116.5 in June, 2.7% above May’s reading of 113.4.
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 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.