Company
FTR
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ECONOMIC WATCH: Trucking conditions remain ‘slightly negative’
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Trucking conditions remained in slightly negative territory in November, according to FTR’s latest Trucking Conditions Index (TCI). The index read -1.58, primarily due to weaker spot market rates, FTR reported. The industry forecaster is calling for the…
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ECONOMIC WATCH: Trailer market ends 2019 with weak orders
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Trailer orders fell in December to 16,500 units, according to preliminary data from FTR, marking their worst month since August. Orders were down 17% from November, and 41% year-over-year. December brought total orders for 2019 to 203,000…
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ECONOMIC WATCH: FTR sees lackluster market
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Transportation intelligence provider FTR is predicting a lackluster but stable freight market for 2020. “Our latest forecast is for spot rates to hold, or perhaps rise by 1%. Contract rates probably would be a bit lower again,…
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Shippers continue to enjoy positive conditions
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – U.S. shippers continued to enjoy positive conditions in October, with an FTR Shippers Conditions Index reading of 6.4. The index was virtually unchanged from September, FTR reported. All index inputs were positive for shippers except for fuel,…
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Trailer orders dropped in November
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – An abundance of caution over freight conditions caused trailer orders to drop 34% in November, to 20,200 units. FTR’s preliminary trailer order numbers indicated orders dropped 55% from November 2019. FTR reports trailer builders have plenty of…
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FTR takes look back at ‘steady’ 2019
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – “Steady as she goes” was how Avery Vise, FTR’s vice-president of trucking characterized 2019 in a Year in Review State of Freight webinar Dec. 12. A rise in carrier bankruptcies doesn’t reflect worsening freight volumes, but rather…
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Trucking conditions improved slightly in October: FTR
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Trucking conditions in the U.S. improved in October, but remained in negative territory, according to FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index. Freight demand drove the improvement, with housing numbers strengthening. The industrial economy remained sluggish. FTR projects the index…
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Class 8 orders disappoint in November
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – North American Class 8 orders came in at a “disappointing” 17,300 units in November, according to preliminary data from FTR. That’s a 21% decrease from October, and the lowest November since 2015. It was also 39% off…
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Shippers continue to enjoy favorable conditions: FTR
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Conditions in the U.S. continued to favor shippers in September. FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index remained in positive territory at a 6.4 reading. While fuel pricing rose, freight volumes, capacity utilization and logistics cost factors all favored shippers.…
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Trucking conditions weaken
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Trucking conditions further deteriorated in September, with the FTR Trucking Conditions Index reaching its lowest reading since May. The reading of -2.94 reflects a relatively weak environment for carriers, however FTR said it’s not forecasting any further…
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Consumers driving U.S. economy, as business investment stalls: FTR
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Business investment has dried up due to uncertainty over trade tensions, but consumer spending remains strong and has kept the U.S. economy moving forward. Consumer spending is the most critical component of the economy, since it drives…
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Class 8 orders bounced in October, but remained subdued
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – North American Class 8 orders came in at 22,100 units in October, according to preliminary data from FTR, marking the strongest month since November 2018. However, they remained well off a year ago, down 51% year-over-year, and…
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Shipper conditions remained positive in August
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Shipper conditions improved in August, reflecting a still-positive rate outlook, according to the latest FTR Shippers Condition Index. The August reading of 6.4 was up from July, but lower than June’s 8.8 reading, which FTR says likely…
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Trailer orders bounce back
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Trailer orders rebounded in September, to 19,000 units according to preliminary figures from FTR. That marked the strongest month since February, as some fleets began placing orders for 2020. Orders were up 81% compared to August, but…
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Trucking environment ‘mediocre’ for carriers: FTR
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The environment for carriers was “mediocre” in August, according to FTR’s latest Trucking Conditions Index (TCI). Active truck utilization edged down to 87.4%, and is expected to remain below the 10-year average of 91% through 2020, FTR…
