Trucking activity in the United States decreased 1% in July after rising 1.5% in June, according to the American Trucking Associations advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index released Aug. 18.

The index equaled 113.5 in July, down from 114.7 in June. Using 2015 as a base of 100, the July reading came in 0.5% below the same month in 2025. June had registered a 1.2% year-over-year gain. Year to date, tonnage is running 1.4% above the same period in 2025, a result of strong year-over-year increases from February through April.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which measures raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 117 in July, 0.9% below June's reading of 118.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said, "Tonnage levels have been choppy recently, and this trend was reflected in July's decline." He added, "Aside from a couple pockets of strength, including the boom in data center construction for AI, freight has been lackluster."

ATA revised June's reading upward from the figure first reported in its July 21 release.

Trucking carries 72.7% of tonnage moved by all domestic freight transportation modes, covering 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 across all transport modes.

Both indices are weighted toward contract freight rather than spot market freight. ATA calculates the tonnage index from surveys of its membership and has done so since the 1970s. The July figure is preliminary and subject to revision in the final report issued around the fifth day of each month.

Source: American Trucking Associations - https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-truck-tonnage-index-fell-1-july