FTR reports COVID-19 virus brings down February trailer orders 45% y/y
Trailers order activity for February felt the impact of the COVID-19 virus, FTR reports, sliding to a paltry 13,000 units, the lowest total for the month of February since the recession year of 2009. February 2020 trailer orders were down 20% m/m and 45% y/y. Trailer orders have now totaled 184,000 units for the past
Trucking Conditions Index for August reflects mediocre environment for carriers
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index for August, at a -1.11 reading, was negatively impacted by weak utilization and higher financing costs. FTR forecasts that the TCI will hover around the neutral range through 2020.
FTR’s shippers conditions reflects mainly positive market conditions
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) for July fell back from June’s 8.8 measure to a still-positive reading of 4.3, FTR reports. The SCI reflects a mixed freight environment with the industrial sector flat or worse, but consumer spending is still healthy. Firmer freight rates in July contributed to the decline in the index.
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index improves sharply in May
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) for May improved sharply to a reading of 5.6, nearly four points higher than the April reading.
FTR’s shippers conditions index took step back in April
FTR’s April Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) took a step back in April to a reading of 1.9, close to a full point below March.
Class 8 orders down 52% compared to last year, FTR reports
FTR reports preliminary North American Class 8 orders for April at 16,400 units, 52% below April 2018. This is the fourth consecutive month for Class 8 orders to be below the 20,000 mark and is the lowest April total since 2016.
April trailer orders down from March, FTR and ACT Research report
FTR reports preliminary trailer orders for April 2019 remained subdued for the second consecutive month coming in at 13,200 units, which is 40% below the same month in 2018. ACT’s estimate for April 2019 net trailer orders is 14,500 units.
FTR’s September Shippers Conditions Index continues to improve
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) for September reflected continued improvement in the environment for shippers with a new reading of -7.6, more than one point better than August. Overall conditions are still not favorable for shippers, but FTR expects its SCI measure to steadily moderate in 2019. Increasing capacity and productivity in both truck and
September FTR Shippers Conditions Index falls
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) moved back into negative territory, falling three points from August to a -2.4 reading in September. The August positive reading was not expected by FTR to last, and in September, the slow but steady build in regulatory drag moved the index back into negative territory that will not reach its
FTR Shippers Conditions Index for July remains near neutral
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) for July, showing a miniscule improvement from June, remains at a near neutral reading of -0.1. The index will continue to hover around equilibrium until early 2017 when steady increases in regulatory drag will increase trucking costs due to tightened capacity. The additional regulations queued up affecting the trucking industry