FTR reports that its Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) for June was strong, although it declined to 12.61 from a reading of 15.72 in May. The easing in June primarily reflected slightly weaker freight volume and somewhat less robust freight rates, FTR says. Partially offsetting those factors was slightly stronger capacity utilization. Overall, market conditions for carriers might have peaked, but they remain very strong and are forecast to remain in the double-digit positive range for the balance of 2021.
  
“We are closing in on a full year during which market conditions were at least as favorable for trucking companies as they were at the height of the 2017-2018 truck freight market, and we expect those conditions to continue into 2022,” Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking, said. “With the pandemic potentially reemerging as an economic factor, downside risks are rising. However, a tight labor market and depleted retail automotive inventories, among other factors, should bolster freight volumes and utilization in the months ahead.”