Shippers Conditions Index falls in December

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index for December slipped to 4.6 from its November reading of 7, the transportation intelligence provider said Monday. “While not as strong as…

FTR offers steady economic outlook for trucking

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Spot rates are down, freight demand has slowed, and there’s been a surge in fleet bankruptcies in the U.S. Overall truckload rates are expected to be down 7% this year and down 1.3% in 2020. Avery Vise of FTR doesn't seem worried.

Truck driver shortage? Think again, says U.S. labor expert.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Cries of a looming -- or existing -- driver shortage are echoed on both sides of the border. They regularly emerge in employer surveys that identify trucking’s biggest challenges, and positions taken by industry lobby groups. Kristen Monaco of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't buy it.

Electric trucks are coming, says Meritor CTO

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – John Bennett, the vice-president and chief technology officer at Meritor, says exact predictions about the growth of electric trucks are not important. “Everybody is at least predicting that it’s higher than today,” he says.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) leading to real-world possibilities

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – There’s data, data everywhere, but limits to what people can do with it. Advances in Artificial Intelligence – often referred to simply as AI – is introducing the computing power that will harness the data to guide everything from the decisions made by autonomous vehicles, to the efforts to better manage traffic flows.

Canada tops 3,000 Class 8 truck sales in April

TORONTO, Ont. -- Wards Auto reports that Canada recorded 3,189 Class 8 truck sales in April, with Daimler Trucks North America holding a tight grip on its leading market share with 1,177 of the sales.

Special Demands: Tips to maintain specialty trailers

Be sure to grease the fifth wheels when working on specialty tankers. TORONTO, Ont. — Maintaining a fleet of trailers is complicated enough, but specialty trailers pose their own unique…

Driverless trucks and the transfer hub model

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The U.S. truck population could shrink by as much as 13% if half the freight is moved by autonomous trucks using a transfer hub model. Stephan Keese,…

Safety, driver comfort driving spec’ing decisions

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Safety and driver comfort are driving the way fleets spec’ trucks today, even at the expense of payload. That was the consensus from three fleet managers who participated in a panel at the FTR Transportation Conference.

Shippers prepared for tropical storm, not ‘perfect storm’

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Heading into 2018, Bruce Ridley, the vice-president of Packaging Corp. of America in charge of transportation, said the company was prepared for a tropical storm — but…

ELD rollout not without problems

Annette Sandberg INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The rollout of the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate in the U.S. has not gone smoothly, according to Annette Sandberg, CEO of TransSafe Consulting. Speaking…

The case for and against electric trucks

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – In studying the viability of electric trucks, Rick Mihelic has learned one thing for certain. “Electric trucks are polarizing,” the director of future technology studies for…

Capacity remains tight despite trade and regualtion uncertainty: FTR

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The economy continues to be strong, with spot rates, employment rates, and load postings all reaching record-setting levels in the last several weeks, but trucking is still susceptible to coming changes say industry analysts.

Can the hot trucking market continue?

NEWPORT, R.I. – It is a good time to be in trucking in the U.S. The economy is strong, freight needs to move, and rates are on the rise. Eric Starks, the chairman and CEO of FTR, pointed to several indicators during a business symposium for Volvo dealers and customers. The ATA Tonnage Index and FTR Loadings Index, which track absolute freight levels, are both trending upward. The flatbed market in particular has been going “crazy”, in part because of increasing demand to move pipe and fracking sand, the latter of which is moved in boxes, he said. “It’s eating up a huge amount of capacity.” Everything from consumer spending to home sales are adding to the demand.

Volvo building share in hot truck market

NEWPORT, R.I. – Per Carlsson has been here before. The global senior vice-president of Volvo Trucks’ strategy and transformation office was president of Volvo Trucks North America from 2008-09, and now he finds himself serving as interim president to fill a role vacated by Goran Nyberg, who has taken a senior position at Volkswagen’s MAN Truck and Bus business unit.