FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index slipped into negative territory again for September when it hit its lowest point since May, reflecting a relatively weak environment for carriers.
While the overall economy grew at a steady rate in the second quarter, the transportation segment lagged behind as demand for goods and their subsequent transportation of goods was much weaker than in other sectors.
Despite an overall positive truck sales forecast for 2019, tariffs and trade wars could be stumbling blocks that trip up the economy and send freight and truck sales downward, said two longtime industry analysts.
October Class 8 orders were above 40,000 units for the eighth month in a row, but two different companies reporting the data put rather different spins on their analysis of the numbers.
The forecast for key indicators in the national macro economy are positive, especially for the construction industry and the growth of home delivery of products purchased online, augur a strong demand for medium-duty work trucks.
Class 8 truck orders soared in January to their highest level since 2006, according to early reports from transportation analysts at ACT Research and FTR.
How fleets think about equipment, electronic logging devices and even the future of autonomous vehicles were in the spotlight Wednesday afternoon at the annual FTR Transportation Conference in Indianapolis, as three trucking fleet people spoke on a panel about the challenges they face in today’s uncertain trucking environment.
Speaking about the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma at the FTR Transportation Conference, analysts estimated that the economic impact on the region could cost GDP 0.5% in the third quarter of 2017.
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