Truck Tonnage Index Showed Improvement In January

ATA Truck Tonnage Index Rose 0.4% in January

ATA Reports January Truck Tonnage Increase

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) reported a slight increase in U.S. trucking activity in January. According to ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index, freight volumes rose 0.4% during the month. The increase followed a 0.2% decline in December.

ATA said overall freight levels remained relatively low. The association pointed to steep declines recorded in September and October.

Economist Comments on Index Trend

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said recent data shows the truck tonnage index has started to move upward after hitting a low point in October.

“Tonnage has lifted off the recent bottom in October with modest gains in November and January,” Costello said. “However, truck freight tonnage in January was down 1.3% from the 2025 high point in August. The trucking recovery story is more of a supply-side one with those motor carriers remaining benefiting from reduced overall capacity.”

Costello’s remarks highlight how capacity shifts continue to shape freight conditions.

Seasonally Adjusted Truck Tonnage Index Reading

ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index measured 113.0 in January. That reading was up from 112.5 in December. The index uses 2015 as its base year, set at 100.

Compared with January 2025, the index increased 0.5%, ATA reported. For the full year 2025, ATA said the tonnage index was flat when compared with the 2024 average.

Data Not Seasonally Adjusted

ATA also released its not seasonally adjusted truck tonnage index, which reflects raw freight changes. The index registered 108.3 in January. That figure was 2.5% below December’s reading of 111.1.

ATA explained that seasonal adjustments often create differences between the two measurements.

ATA Revises Truck Tonnage Index Data

The ATA recently revised the seasonally adjusted index going back five years. The update was part of the association’s annual revision process.

Such revisions are standard practice. They help align historical data with updated economic information.

Index as an Economic Barometer

ATA emphasized that the truck tonnage index remains an important indicator of U.S. economic activity. Trucks carry 72.7% of domestic freight tonnage across all transportation modes. This includes manufactured goods and retail shipments.

ATA estimates that trucks hauled 11.27 billion tons of freight in 2024. The association also reported that motor carriers generated $906 billion in revenue. That amount represented 76.9% of total revenue earned by all transport modes.

ATA noted that 2024 figures include forecasts.

Contract Freight Dominates the Truck Tonnage Index

ATA stated that both versions of the truck tonnage index are largely driven by contract freight rather than traditional spot market freight. The index is calculated using surveys collected from ATA’s membership.

Preliminary Data

ATA described the January results as preliminary. Final figures are typically issued around the fifth day of each month.

The full report generally includes month-to-month comparisons, year-over-year changes, and broader economic indicators.