Trucking Conditions Index

Trucking Conditions Index Improves in February to 11.23 Reading

Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) for February, as reported in the April issue of Trucking Update, improved to 11.23 up from the January 10.37 reading. The February TCI was the highest since the record reading in October 2020. Strong capacity utilization and freight rates along with stable freight volume offset surging diesel fuel prices, which finally eased in late March after weeks of several months of increases. The near-term outlook for trucking is very strong with the TCI expected to deliver double-digit positive readings beyond Q2 and to remain in positive territory through 2022.

Details of the February TCI are found in the April 2021 issue of the Trucking Update, published March 31, along with additional analysis on why government data on historically lean retail inventories can be misleading unless you dig deeper.

Avery Vise commented, “You could hardly devise better market conditions for trucking companies as demand is robust in both the consumer and industrial sectors and lingering labor-related challenges due to the pandemic are keeping a lid on capacity. We do not expect any noticeable easing in this environment until this fall, and even when that occurs, we do not anticipate that conditions will stabilize as quickly as they did in late 2018 and 2019. The outlook is not without risks, including shortages and disruptions in the supply chain. However, even those risks arguably have an upside by potentially bolstering freight demand over a longer period.”

The Trucking Conditions Index explained >

There's more to the Trucking Conditions Index than what's in our monthly release.

The industry's leading carriers, shippers, and 3PLs prepare for the unexpected in the freight market with our monthly Trucking Update service to understand the fundamentals driving future freight transportion demand.

We provide the Trucking Conditions Index with two year forecast. We also focus on near-term freight volumes, truck utilization, rates, pricing, driver supply, and trucker economics. As the leader in freight forecasting, we provide unbiased insights into the metrics that drive the world of over the road transportation. 

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