Truck tonnage in the United States rose slightly in January, but volumes remain below the more significant declines reported in September and October, according to the American Trucking Associations. 

ATA said the advanced seasonally adjusted for-hire truck tonnage index rose to 113 in January, up 0.4% from December. The index had decreased 0.2% in December. 

“Tonnage has lifted off the recent bottom in October with modest gains in November and January,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “However, truck freight tonnage in January was down 1.3% from the 2025 high point in August. The trucking recovery story is more of a supply-side one with those motor carriers remaining benefiting from reduced overall capacity.”

The index increased by 0.5% in January compared with the same month in 2025. ATA said the not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, fell 2.5% in January from the previous month to 108.3.

Both indices are dominated by contract freight rather than spot-market freight. The tonnage index is calculated from surveys of ATA members. 

ATA said trucks hauled 11.27 billion tons of freight in 2024. Motor carriers collected $906 billion, or 76.9% of total revenue earned by all transport modes.