Trucking activity was up slightly in January, increasing 0.4% on the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index, the association reported Monday.
Despite the uptick, ATA reports volumes remain at low levels after significant declines in September and October 2025.
“Tonnage has lifted off the recent bottom in October with modest gains in November and January,” says 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.”
[RELATED: Check out our most recent American fleet capacity report]
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, ATA reports.
The not seasonally adjusted index, which ATA reports calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 108.3 in January, 2.5% below December’s reading of 111.1.
