For-hire truck tonnage in the United States rose 3 percent year-over-year in March 2026, the largest annual gain since October 2022, according to the American Trucking Associations' advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. The March index reading of 117.0 follows a 2.9 percent sequential increase in February, making the first quarter of 2026 the strongest combined performance since the third quarter of 2017 when measured by both sequential and year-over-year results.

For the full first quarter, tonnage averaged 2.1 percent above the same period in 2025. In contrast, the 2025 annual average was flat compared to 2024, indicating the first signs of sustained recovery from a multi-year freight contraction.

The data underscores the scale of trucking's role in the US economy. Motor carriers hauled 11.27 billion tons of freight in 2024 and collected $906 billion in revenue, representing 76.9 percent of total revenue earned by all freight transportation modes. Trucks account for 72.7 percent of all domestic freight tonnage moved in the country.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello noted that March was not particularly strong on a sequential basis after February's surge, but the year-over-year comparison reflects a genuine shift in market momentum. The index is calculated from surveys of ATA member carriers and is based on 2015 as a baseline of 100.

Source: American Trucking Associations -- https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/ata-truck-tonnage-index-edged-03-higher-march