The American Trucking Associations' seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index reached 113.1 in June 2026, edging up just 0.1% after a sharp 3.2% decline in May. The index measures the volume of freight moved by trucks across the country and serves as one of the clearest signals of the health of the broader freight economy.

The modest June gain follows a rough second quarter. The tonnage index contracted a combined 4.1% during April and May, marking the first back to back monthly declines after five straight months of year over year growth. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said the broader US economy remains steady even though freight volumes have softened, adding that reduced trucking capacity over the past year has likely helped fleets feel more stable than the raw volume numbers suggest.

Despite the second quarter slowdown, tonnage for the first half of 2026 finished 1.4% above the same period in 2025, powered by strong first quarter numbers. The not seasonally adjusted index, which tracks raw month to month changes, came in at 116.5 for June, a 2.7% increase over May's reading of 113.4.

Trucking remains the dominant mode for moving goods across the country, accounting for 72.7% of the tonnage carried by all domestic freight transportation modes. In 2024, trucks hauled 11.27 billion tons of freight and motor carriers collected 906 billion dollars in revenue, representing 76.9% of total revenue earned across every transport mode.