WASHINGTON — Truck freight tonnage increased 0.4% after falling 0.2% in December, according the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index.
“Tonnage has lifted off the recent bottom in October with modest gains in November and January,” said Bob Costello, ATA chief economist “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.”
Trucking activity in the United States increased slightly in January, but volumes remained at low levels after significant declines in 2025 in September and October.
2025 Tonnage Flat as Compared to 2024
In January, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 113.0, up from 112.5 in December. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, increased 0.5% from the same month in 2025. In 2025, the tonnage index was flat compared to the 2024 average.
The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 108.3 in January, 2.5% below December’s reading of 111.1.
ATA recently revised the seasonally adjusted index back five years as part of its annual revision.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
