Has a freight turnaround possibly begun?
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) reported this week that truck freight tonnage was up for the second consecutive month in August — the first sequential increase in over a year — reaching the highest point in ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index since December 2023.
“That truck freight volumes had a nice end of the summer,” says Bob Costello, ATA chief economist. “However, while I’d like to predict a strong rebound in freight levels through the upcoming holidays, I can’t. I believe traditional seasonal patterns are off this year as shippers adjust to tariffs. Plus, housing remains soft, the slowing labor market is likely to show up in consumer spending at some point, and most manufacturing metrics are either decelerating or declining.”
ATA states its advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 115.3, up from 114.3 in July. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, rose 0.4% from the same month last year after increasing 0.5% in July. Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2024, tonnage was up 0.1%.
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Additionally, ATA states July’s seasonally adjusted increase (1.1%) was larger than first reported last month (0.6%).
The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 117.7 in August, 0.3% above July’s reading of 117.4.
