ATA Truck Tonnage Index Declined 0.3% in April
Trucking activity in the United States slipped again in April as the freight market remained choppy early in the second quarter. Specifically, truck freight tonnage decreased 0.3% after contracting 1.5% in March, according to the American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index. “After surging 2.8% in February, and hitting the highest level since late May 2024, tonnage fell a combined 1.8% in March and April,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Unfortunately, a recovery that was expected this year hasn’t transpired as the industry deals with a freight market in flux from tariffs and softening economic indicators.” In April, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 113.0, down from 113.3 in March. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, was up 0.1% from the same month last year, the fourth straight year-over-year increase, albeit the smallest increase over this period.