US for-hire truck tonnage has climbed to a new milestone, adding to evidence that the multi-year freight recession is fading. The seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 0.3 percent in March 2026, following a 2.9 percent surge in February. March delivered the largest year-over-year gain since October 2022, with tonnage up about 3 percent compared with the same month a year earlier.

Pricing data tracked the same recovery. Spot rates reached roughly 2.01 dollars per mile in February 2026, rebounding from 1.65 dollars in November 2025, while contract rates ticked up to about 2.12 dollars per mile from 1.99 dollars over the same span. By late spring, truckload spot rates including fuel held elevated near 2.80 dollars per mile nationally, up about 23 percent from 2.33 dollars a year earlier.

Analysts attribute the firming to supply-side tightening rather than a broad demand surge. Capacity remains constrained by driver availability, stricter regulatory enforcement, and lower equipment replacement after years of weak returns. The tonnage figures measure the volume of freight hauled by for-hire carriers and are watched closely as a barometer of goods movement across the US economy. The combination of rising tonnage and rising rates points to a market that has moved past its trough, though the pace of any rebuild in carrier capacity will shape how durable the recovery becomes.

Source: DAT Freight & Analytics - https://www.dat.com/blog/flatbed-report-trucking-tonnage-hits-new-milestone-is-the-freight-recession-officially-over