U.S. for-hire trucking activity declined 0.5% in August after a 1.2% drop in July, according to the American Trucking Associations advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. The index stood at 112.7 in August, down from 113.3 in July, using 2015 as the base year of 100.

The August reading was 1.6% below the same month in 2025, a steeper year-over-year decline than the 0.7% drop recorded in July. Year to date, tonnage is still up 1% compared with the same period in 2025, supported by strong year-over-year gains from February through April. ATA also revised its July figure downward from the number first reported in its August 18 release.

The chart shows the index peaking near 118 in the spring of 2026 before sliding through the summer. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said tonnage was down in four of the last five months and now sits 4.3% below the recent peak reached in March. He attributed the tighter truck market this year to reduced capacity rather than stronger freight demand.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which measures raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 116.1 in August, 0.6% below the July reading of 116.7.

ATA reports that trucking carries 72.7% of tonnage moved by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled 11.27 billion tons of freight in 2024, and motor carriers collected $906 billion, or 76.9% of total revenue earned by all transport modes. The tonnage index is dominated by contract freight, which makes it a closely watched measure of freight volume for the broader U.S. economy.

Source: American Trucking Associations - https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-truck-tonnage-index-fell-05-august