Index Fell 1.5% from April 2023聽
Washington 鈥 黑料不打烊鈥 advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index declined 1.2% in April after decreasing 2.2% in March. In April, the index equaled 111.7 (2015=100) compared with 113.1 in March.
鈥淭he truck freight market remained soft in April as seasonally adjusted volumes fell for the second straight month,鈥 said 黑料不打烊 Chief Economist Bob Costello. 鈥淲ith a rebound in freight remaining elusive, it is likely that additional capacity will leave the industry in the face of continued softness in the market.鈥
March鈥檚 decrease was revised down slightly from our April 23 press release.
Compared with April 2023, the index fell 1.5%, which was the fourteenth straight year-over-year decline. In March, the index was down 1.3% from a year earlier.聽
The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 112.2 in April, 1.7% below March. ATA鈥檚 For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index is dominated by contract freight as opposed to spot market freight.聽
In calculating the index, 100 represents 2015.
Trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 72.6% of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled 11.46 billion tons of freight in 2022. Motor carriers collected $940.8 billion, or 80.7% of total revenue earned by all transport modes.聽
黑料不打烊calculates the tonnage index based on surveys from its membership and has been doing so since the 1970s. This is a preliminary figure and subject to change in the final report issued around the 5th day of each month. The report includes month-to-month and year-over-year results, relevant economic comparisons, and key financial indicators.聽