ATA Truck Tonnage Index Unchanged in April

The American Trucking Associations reported that its advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index remained flat in April following a 1% gain in March. This stability marks a significant recovery for the sector, as the index has climbed 4.7% since the end of 2025 without experiencing a single monthly decline so far in 2026. The data serves as a critical indicator for the freight market, reflecting the performance of contract carriers who handle the vast majority of domestic goods.

According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index reached 117.8 in April, holding steady after a revised 1% increase in March. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello highlighted that the index has not seen a decrease yet in 2026, gaining a total of 4.7% since the conclusion of 2025. This recent performance has effectively returned trucking activity to levels last seen during the fall of 2022, signaling a period of sustained volume recovery for the industry.

On a year-over-year basis, the April index rose 3.5% compared to the same month in 2025, though this was a slight deceleration from the 3.7% annual growth recorded in March. For the first four months of 2026, total tonnage is up 2.6% over the previous year's levels. This growth follows a stagnant 2025, where the tonnage index remained flat relative to the 2024 average. The not seasonally adjusted index, which tracks raw tonnage hauled, stood at 116.8 in April, representing a 3.4% decrease from March’s reading of 120.9.

The ATA tonnage index is primarily driven by contract freight rather than the spot market, providing a window into the core operations of the nation's motor carriers. Trucking remains the dominant mode of domestic logistics, accounting for 72.7% of all tonnage and generating $906 billion in revenue, or 76.9% of the total earned by all transport modes. In 2024, motor carriers hauled a total of 11.27 billion tons of freight, including manufactured and retail goods, underscoring the sector's role as a primary barometer for the broader U.S. economy.