NASHVILLE, Ind. — Conditions for shippers worsened in August, falling to a reading of -6.8 on FTR Associates’ Shippers Conditions Index (SCI). FTR officials said the decrease reflects a slowly tightening capacity environment for carriers and shippers. FTR officials say they expect the SCI to remain close to the current reading through the fourth quarter of this year. 

‘Shipping costs, along with the ability to find capacity, will begin to grow worse in 2013 as economic conditions improve just as new Federal regulations affecting trucking are implemented,” FTR said in a release. “The SCI readings will reflect the added challenges facing shippers at that time.”

“Attendees at the recently concluded FTR Transportation Conference concurred that freight markets currently are mired in a sluggish but stable state. Disciplined carriers are therefore holding back on any capacity additions, setting the stage for tightening as conditions evolve through the early part of next year,” said Larry Gross, senior consultant for FTR. “Barring another significant stumble in the overall economy, we expect things to look substantially different a year from now.”