You're Invited!
If you’re responsible for production schedules, capital allocation, or protecting margins in the commercial vehicle supply chain, you’re navigating a cycle defined by shifting backlogs, uneven trailer demand, evolving replacement patterns, and cautious capital deployment. The divergence between Class 8, medium-duty, and trailer segments has made broad assumptions risky — and precision more valuable than ever.
At the 2026 FTR State of Equipment: Commercial Vehicle Symposium, we tackle these issues and more, in a small group, focused, interactive setting built for decision-makers. Join us for a data-driven look at demand drivers, shipment forecasts, utilization trends, and risk factors shaping equipment markets in 2026.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
$495 per person
Crowne Plaza Indianapolis - Airport
2501 S High School Rd, Indianapolis, IN
Please click here to view the FTR Symposium Series terms and conditions.
FTR 2026 CV Symposium Agenda
Morning
7:30 am - Breakfast
Breakfast will be served in Atrium A
8:30 - 9:00 am - Welcome & Intro
9:00 - 9:45 - Understanding the Demand Drivers
The FTR experts will explore the key economic and industry data that are driving changes in demand for new equipment. Topics will include, economics, freight growth, carrier changes, productivity, EDD and more.
Led by Eric Starks, FTR, Chairman of the Board
9:45-10:15 am - Indicators & Outlook: Class 8 & Trailers
Hear insights into the latest forecasts for the commercial vehicle markets, along with what the movement in the recent market indicator data is telling us about the path forward.
Led by Dan Moyer, FTR, Sr. Analyst Commercial Vehicles
10:15 - 10:45 - Networking Break
10:45 – 12:00 pm - Capital Deployment: Is the pause over?
2025 put much of the industry in pause as trade, tariffs, and regulatory items were in flux. Will certainty over EPA regulations and less volatile trade policies lead to greater ability to deploy capital? We will also discuss the data and the impacts of changes in replacement cycles and whether the One Big Beautiful Bill can turbocharge fleet activity.
Led by Avery Vice, FTR Vice President of Trucking
Afternoon
12:00 – 1:00 pm - Lunch
Lunch will be served in Atrium A.
1:00 – 2:00 pm - Trailers: A Tale of Two Markets
We explore the contrasts between weak van trailer demand with stronger vocational segments, showing how infrastructure, construction, and trade dynamics are reshaping the trailer market.
Led by Dan Moyer, FTR, Sr Analyst Commercial Vehicles
2:00 – 3:00 pm - Operating in an elevated risk environment
Uncertainty remains a key element, but action seems to be occurring. Yet the environment that the industry is operating in still has a number of risks that could impact results. Let’s discuss what key risks you are keeping an eye on as we move through 2026?
Led by Eric Starks, FTR, Chairman of the Board
3:00 – 3:30 pm - Networking Break
3:30 – 4:30 pm - Ask the Experts: Closing Q&A & Discussion
Led by Jonathan Starks, FTR, Chief Executive Officer
You're invited!
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
$495 per person
Crowne Plaza Indianapolis - Airport
If you're responsible for setting your company's transportation budgets, pricing capacity with precision, or protecting your margins, you need to attend this one-day session from the FTR Events team.
These new small-group sessions provide the perfect blend of quantitative analysis, forecasts, and intimate networking with the industry's elite decision-makers.
7:30 AM - Breakfast & Networking
8:30 AM - Welcome & Introductions
8:45 AM - The U.S. Economy: Is This Normal Now?
The economy has seen a series of shocks and whipsaws in the past three-and-a-half years, and even as indicators suggest a broad settling, we continue to see echoes and consequences of the pandemic disruption. Will 2024 finally bring an economy we can anticipate? Or is the new normal just waiting for the next unseen shoe to drop?
9:30 AM - Trucking Outlook: When Will the Market Start to Tighten?
Following the craziness of late 2020 through early 2022, the trucking market has been favorable for shippers for a unusually long period – at least by the standards of the past decade. We will review current conditions and the latest forecast and discuss markers we watching for signs of trucking's next upswing.
10:30 AM - Networking Break
10:45 AM - Rail Outlook: Making Sense of Different Paths
Carload and intermodal have been on starkly different trajectories in the last few years, and that has only intensified in the last 12 months. This session examines the fundamentals and outlooks for each side of the rail freight market and whether carload and intermodal will start to come closer together in 2024.
11:45 AM - Lunch
1:00 PM - Industry Keynote
A leading chemical and petroleum shipper speaks about the threats and opportunities they see for the market moving forward. This conversation will allow attendees to ask questions and hear answers about what they are watching to determine business outcomes in the year ahead.
2:00 PM - Electrified Freight Transportation: Charging Ahead or Running Off the Grid?
Regulations at the federal and state levels and corporate drives for sustainability are pushing toward electric propulsion for commercial vehicles faster than we might have envisioned a decade ago. This session will address the technology paths, timelines and current and expected challenges to battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and whether diesel has a role in freight transportation of the future.
3:00 PM - Networking Break
3:15 PM - Charting a Course for Compliance: Navigating Regulatory Concerns for Leading Shippers
In today's ever-evolving global marketplace, leading shippers face an array of complex and constantly changing regulatory challenges. To maintain a competitive edge while ensuring adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards, shippers must chart a course for compliance.
This session is designed to provide shippers with invaluable insights into the regulatory landscape and equip them with practical strategies to navigate the intricate web of compliance concerns.
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