ATA Truck Tonnage Index Hits 3-Year High
In February of 2026, the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Truck Tonnage Index, which performs an educated estimate of the amount of goods hauled across the country based on weight, reported the highest numbers seen since 2022.
Details
On March 24th the ATA released its data for its Truck Tonnage Index for the month of February, which came in at 116.2. For comparison, 2015 is where the Index stands at 100, and it hit 107 during the dog days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though the industry is reaching close to all-time highs, it is not quite there yet. The highest recording was in late summer of 2022, where the number was approximately 118.8.
Considering its month-over-month increase from January 2026, however, which tallied in at 2.6%, one more month with similar growth will result in a new record.
Beyond the ATA, the Federal Reserve of St. Louis is posting similar numbers, with their Index also placing tonnage for 2015 at 100, it currently reports 112.8 for January 2026, showing that there is a growing demand for trucking services to haul goods across the country.
Conclusion
Anyone who understands the basics of economics understands what is likely to happen next: as more goods compete for the ability to be shipped from Point A to Point B, companies will have to compete with one another to hire a trucking company, meaning that spot rates will increase.
If spot rates increase enough, more businesses and drivers will enter the trucking industry, and price will reach an equilibrium. Until that time happens, this increase in truck tonnage is a leading indicator that better rates are on the horizon.
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