The American Trucking Associations reported that its advanced seasonally adjusted For Hire Truck Tonnage Index contracted 2 percent in May, following a 0.9 percent decrease in April. The index, which uses 2015 as a base of 100, registered 114.4 for the month. Tonnage rose 0.6 percent against May 2025, a sixth consecutive month of year over year growth, down from a 2.5 percent annual gain in April.

The two month slide reversed part of an earlier run. Tonnage gained a combined 4.7 percent across the first three months of the year, then gave back 2.9 percent over April and May, according to ATA chief economist Bob Costello. Through the first five months of 2026, tonnage stood 2 percent above the same period in 2025. The 2025 index finished flat against the 2024 average. The April reading was revised down from the figure first published in May.

The not seasonally adjusted index, which tracks raw changes in freight hauled, came in at 114.8 in May, 0.8 percent below the April reading of 115.7.

Trucking serves as a barometer for the wider US economy. The mode carries 72.7 percent of tonnage moved by all domestic freight transportation modes, covering manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled 11.27 billion tons of freight in 2024. ATA compiles the index from surveys of its membership and revises prior months as additional carrier data arrives.

Source: American Trucking Associations - https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-truck-tonnage-index-fell-2-may