FTR’S trucking index improves, still below neutral

“The continued negative TCI reading is a clear sign that the transportation industry is still struggling from the steep downturn seen late last year and into 2009,” said Eric Starks, president of FTR.

The Trucker News Services

11/18/2009

NASHVILLE, Ind. — The FTR Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) for October 2009 increased for the third consecutive month to the highest reading since November 2008. –At -16.4, however, the index remains significantly below a neutral reading of zero. 

“The continued negative TCI reading is a clear sign that the transportation industry is still struggling from the steep downturn seen late last year and into 2009,” said Eric Starks, president of FTR. “Real acceleration in the trucking fundamentals that we track for this index will likely wait for a substantial recovery in volumes and capacity utilization which we don’t expect to occur for at least another year.”

The Trucking Conditions Index combines five trucking industry statistics into one metric measuring the overall health of the trucking industry and is reported in The Trucker’s Dashboard, a monthly publication of FTR Associates. 

The Trucker’s Dashboard gives freight companies a quick look at freight trends, industry capacity, trucking costs, driver supply and other factors affecting their operations.

FTR uses available data and proprietary calculations to forecast the upcoming demand for freight services. 

FTR Associates has been a leader in transportation forecasting for over 20 years. The company’s U.S. Freight Model collects and analyzes all data likely to impact freight movement  and is based on specific characteristics for over 200 commodity groups. FTR Associates’ forecast reports cover trucking and rail transportation and include demand analysis for commercial vehicle as well as railcar.

Kevin Jones of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at kevinj@thetrucker.com.

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