Following its lowest reading in more than two years, the new edition of the Trucking Conditions Index, which was issued today by freight transportation consultancy FTR, showed some improvement, while remaining in negative territory, for the seventh consecutive month.
According to FTR, a TCI reading above zero represents an adequate trucking environment, with readings above 10 indicating that volumes, prices and margin are in a good range for carriers.
For November, the most recent month for which data is available, the TCI reading came in at -7.94, following October’s -11.25 reading, its lowest level since the April 2020 all-time low, at -28.66. The September TCI reading came in at -2.35.
FTR officials observed that the November TCI reading, while still firmly negative, showed sequential growth amid what it called a weakened freight environment. The company said that the lone positive contribution to November’s TCI reading was freight volume, as all of the index factors were less negative, with the exception of freight rates, which were “the most negative” going back to May 2020.
