The Trucking Update is an FTR service that provides a monthly snapshot of OTR and LTL movements and rates, with forecasts.
Presented in a clear and concise monthly publication, this service gives you the information that you need to know to stay informed on the current state of the trucking industry.
Here are some highlights.
Report | skip to Database
Page 1 - Executive Overview
There is immense value in the summary on the first page. The four indicators combine key metrics for at-a-glance views that can be reviewed in detail later in the following sections of the Trucking Update. The footnotes below indicate which page contains the granular data.
-
Trucking Conditions Index - Provides a high-level overview of the trucking industry from the carrier's perspective. The Truckers Condition Index (TCI) is a FTR exclusive index which is an aggregation of data including: freight volume, trucking capacity, the spot rate market, diesel fuel pricing, and cost of financing. A positive score represents good, optimistic conditions while a negative score indicates bad, pessimistic conditions.
-
Loadings Index - Exclusive to FTR subscribers, the Truck Loadings Index compiles the data from the trucking industry to give a standardized number for the truck loadings of over 1,400 carriers showing growth trends and expectations for the industry. This is a great indicator to compare your company's position and readiness for upcoming demand.
-
Active Truck Utilization - The Active Truck Utilization graph shows the percentage of the trucking fleet that is in use currently as well as a forecast of the same metric. This key indicator combines truck loadings, capacity, and productivity. The output gives a glimpse into the driver supply and demand situation which often impacts a company's hiring efforts.
-
Truckload Rates - Leveraging our partnership with TruckStop.com, the rates chart is an overall view of the year-over-year change in the combined spot and contract market and provides a real-time and forecasted view of the rate situation. A spike here would indicate stronger rates from a carrier's perspective.
Page 2 - Loadings by Segment
A drilled-down view of loadings by segment as well as FTR insights into the freight markets.
-
Freight Markets - These bullet points provide key indicators of note from the freight markets. FTR experts come together monthly to determine the key items of note here to make sure fleet owners can be aware of where the hottest segments are in the industry.
-
Truck Loadings Index - This is a more detailed version of the graph shown on page 1.
-
Annual Truck Loadings by Trailer Type - Shows you an aggregated annual total of truck loadings by trailer type.
Page 3 - Trucking Condition Index
A granular view of the inputs to the Trucking Conditions Index:
-
Truckload Pricing Overview
-
TCI Breakdown
-
Fuel Environment
-
Publicly Traded Truckload Carrier Data
Page 4 - Trucking Rates
Trucking Rates provide a detailed look at rates at a segmented level to alert you of potential impacts to your overall business at a more granular level.
Page 5 - Active Truck Utilization
A view of the metrics which comprise the Active Truck Utilization from page 1.
-
Capacity Situation - These bullets are compiled monthly by our FTR experts to show the indicators of note which inform our indices and outlooks. These bullets change monthly to keep you current on the overall driver situation.
-
Market Demand Index - An index created to measure the overall capacity in the marketplace giving you a quick view of the load/truck equilibrium.
Database | back to Report
Access to the Trucking Update Database is provided for Premium subscribers. The database is provided in Excel format and includes the underlying data used to generate the graphs in the report, with history back to 1991.