Shippers Conditions Index

FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index Softens in June as the Freight Market Becomes More Balanced

FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index for June fell to 0.3 from the May reading of 4.5 as moderating fuel costs kept the index out of marginally negative territory. Freight-related factors deteriorated slightly during the month. FTR’s SCI forecast is for a prolonged phase of near-neutral readings, indicating a mostly balanced freight market between shippers and carriers.

Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking, commented, “The days of consistently favorable freight market conditions for shippers are over, but the market does not really look tough for them, either. Over the forecast horizon, we do not expect the market to be even remotely as challenging as the one that shippers endured from late 2020 through mid-2022, and shippers might even fare better than they anticipate. The biggest wild card in the near term probably is the cost of fuel.”

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This index represents four major conditions in the U.S. full-load freight market. These metrics are combined into a single index that tracks the market conditions that influence a shipper's freight transportation environment.

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FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index Softens in June as the Freight Market Becomes More Balanced