ATA Truck Tonnage Rises 1.2% Sequentially in October

Trucks on New Jersey state Route 21 in Newark. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said truck tonnage is up a total of 3% since January, indicating the freight market has slowly improved. (georgeolsson/Getty Images)

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The freight market showed renewed signs of recovery in October after stumbling in September, American Trucking Associations reported.

The ATA For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index for October increased 1.2% to 114.6 from 113.3 the previous month, ATA said Nov. 19. While the index slipped in September, it also posted sequential improvements during August and July. Year over year, tonnage was down 0.5% compared to October 2023.

For October, the non-seasonally-adjusted index increased 8.6% sequentially to 121.3.

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Costello 

“The slow, and choppy, climb off of the bottom continued in October,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said. “Since hitting a low in January of this year, tonnage is up a total of 3%, plus the index is up sequentially in three of the last four months. No doubt the freight market has improved — albeit slowly — over the course of the year.”

ATA calculates its monthly tonnage index based on membership surveys. The feedback primarily comes from contract freight rather than spot market freight. In calculating the index, 100 represents 2015.

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