BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) for February 2026 dropped to -11.9.
According to an April 14 statement issued by FTR, this reflects the toughest market conditions for shippers since March 2022. However, surging fuel prices mean that market conditions for shippers are deteriorating faster than the monthly SCI can measure fully.
As FTR noted last month, the upcoming March index reading will dwarf unfavorable index levels in January and February.
“We haven’t finalized the March SCI data yet, but the index will indicate either the toughest or second toughest month ever for shippers, at least going back to the beginning of the data series in 2000,” said Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking.
“A big warning sign for shippers is how strongly spot rates in trucking rose in response to surging fuel prices as that indicates very tight capacity. Contrast that to March 2022 when dry van and refrigerated van spot rates continued to fall even as diesel prices soared,” he continued. “The one aspect of the market that is not exerting much pressure on shippers currently is freight demand, which remains a wild card in determining how difficult the market might become.”
About the data
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index tracks the changes representing four major conditions in the U.S. full-load freight market:
- Freight demand;
- Freight rates;
- Fleet capacity; and
- Fuel price.
The individual metrics are combined into a single index that tracks the market conditions that influence the shippers’ freight transport environment. A positive score represents good (optimistic) conditions. A negative score represents bad (pessimistic) conditions.
Linda Garner-Bunch has been with The Trucker since 2020, picking up the reins as managing editor in 2022. Linda has nearly 40 years of experience in the publishing industry, covering topics from the trucking and automotive industry to employment, real estate, home decor, crafts, cooking, weddings, high school sports — you name it, she’s written about it. She is also an experienced photographer, designer and copy editor who has a heartfelt love for the trucking industry, from the driver’s seat to the C-suite.
