Trucks carried more than 72% of all domestic freight tonnage moved in the United States, according to the American Trucking Associations' American Trucking Trends report, which compiles industry-wide statistics on freight volume, fleet composition and driver employment. The report remains the trucking industry's primary annual benchmark for measuring the sector's share of total U.S. freight movement across all transportation modes.

The trucking industry's tonnage performance through the first half of 2026 ran 1.4% ahead of the same period in 2025, according to ATA's separately published Truck Tonnage Index, even as growth slowed compared with the sharper gains recorded earlier in the year. The index posted five consecutive year-over-year increases to start 2026, including a 2.1% jump in February that ATA described as the largest monthly gain since October 2022, before tonnage growth eased in the following months.

ATA's first-quarter 2026 tonnage results marked the strongest sequential and year-over-year performance for the index since the third quarter of 2017, reflecting a rebound in freight movement after a slower 2025. The trucking industry's dominant share of domestic freight has held steady for years even as rail, air and maritime shipping capture a growing share of specific long-haul and international freight segments.

ATA compiles Trends data from a combination of federal transportation statistics and its own member carrier surveys.

Source: American Trucking Associations - https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-truck-tonnage-index-rose-01-june