U.S. trucking activity declined again in August as freight demand remained weak despite continued reductions in available industry capacity. The American Trucking Associations reported that its advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index fell 0.5% in August, following a revised 1.2% decline in July.
The seasonally adjusted index registered 112.7 in August, down from 113.3 the previous month. ATA uses 2015 as the index baseline of 100. Compared with August 2025, truck tonnage declined 1.6%, a larger year-over-year decrease than July’s 0.7% drop.
ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said trucking market conditions have changed significantly during 2026. However, he emphasized that the improvement carriers are experiencing is largely the result of reduced trucking capacity rather than strong freight demand. Tonnage has declined during four of the past five months and is now 4.3% below its recent peak recorded in March.
The index has also fallen below year-earlier levels during three of the past four months. Even so, Costello noted that market conditions have generally improved because supply constraints have reduced the amount of available trucking capacity. Fewer trucks competing for freight can create a better operating environment for remaining carriers even when overall shipment volumes remain relatively soft.
Despite the recent declines, trucking activity remains positive for the year overall. Through August, tonnage was 1% higher than during the same period in 2025. ATA attributed the year-to-date increase mainly to stronger year-over-year gains recorded between February and April.
ATA also reported that its not seasonally adjusted tonnage index fell 0.6% in August, reaching 116.1 compared with 116.7 in July. The unadjusted index measures actual changes in freight hauled without accounting for seasonal patterns that can affect monthly transportation activity.
Truck tonnage remains an important measure of broader U.S. economic activity because trucks transport a large share of domestic goods. ATA estimates that trucking represents 72.7% of the tonnage carried by all domestic freight transportation modes. Trucks hauled approximately 11.27 billion tons of freight in 2024, while motor carriers generated about $906 billion in revenue.
ATA’s index primarily reflects contract freight rather than traditional spot-market shipments. The organization calculates the index using surveys of its motor carrier members, a process it has maintained since the 1970s.
The August results show a trucking market still working through uneven freight demand. While falling capacity may help improve rates and operating conditions for some carriers, recent tonnage figures indicate that a broader freight-volume recovery has yet to develop consistently.
Source: https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-truck-tonnage-index-fell-05-august
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