According to the adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index by the American Trucking Associations, trucking activity in the U.S. decreased 1% in July after rising 1.5% in June 2026. 

"Tonnage levels have been choppy recently, and this trend was reflected in July’s decline,” according to Bob Costello. He is one of the most respected authorities on the freight economy and regularly speaks at the annual Food Shippers conference. "Aside from a couple pockets of strength, including the boom in data center construction for AI, freight has been lackluster. It is also true that the industry is seeing a recovery, but that is nearly all due to excess capacity leaving the market.”

In July, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 113.5, down from 114.7 in June. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, decreased 0.5% from the same month in 2025, which was worse than June’s 1.2% gain. Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2025, tonnage is up 1.4% due to robust year-over-year increases from February through April.

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. This is a preliminary figure and subject to change in the final report issued around the 5th day of each month. The report includes month-to-month and year-over-year results, relevant economic comparisons, and key financial indicators.

Purchase ATA's full Monthly Truck Tonnage report. Subscribers receive the Monthly Truck Tonnage Report on the first Friday of the month.

* 2024 estimates include forecasts.

Related Articles:

• Truck Tonnage Rose 0.1% in June
• Truck Tonnage Fell 2% in May
• Truck Tonnage Unchanged in April
• Truck Tonnage Edged 0.3% Higher in March
• Truck Tonnage Surged 2.6% in February

Like this kind of content? Subscribe to our "Food For Thought" eNewsletter!

Now more than ever, professionals consume info on the go. Distributed twice monthly, our "Food For Thought" e-newsletter allows readers to stay informed about timely and relevant industry topics and FSA news whether they're in the office or on the road. Topics range from capacity, rates and supply chain disruption to multimodal transportation strategy, leveraging technology, and talent management and retention. Learn More