April Trucking Conditions Index Signals Underlying Instability

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) turned slightly negative in April, dropping to -0.81 from +0.28 in March, suggesting that while overall conditions appear relatively stable, deeper turbulence is taking shape beneath the surface.

🚛 What’s Going On Under the Hood?

Although the TCI reading itself points to mostly neutral market conditions, key components of the index shifted dramatically:

• 📦 Freight volumes—which were the strongest positive contributor in March—became the largest negative driver in April.
• 💰 Freight rates, though still technically negative in their contribution, improved significantly over March.
• ⛽ Diesel prices and insurance costs are adding volatility to the market environment.

Avery Vise, FTR’s VP of Trucking, explained it this way: 

“Tariffs and supply chain moves to minimize them have distorted freight market dynamics even though the overall TCI implied essentially neutral trucking conditions in February through April.”

What to Watch Moving Forward

Several external developments are poised to further disrupt the trucking market in the coming months:

• Rising commercial truck insurance premiums could force some carriers out of the market or limit expansion.
• Potential regulatory changes, such as stricter enforcement of English proficiency standards, may lead to a sudden contraction in driver capacity.
• Diesel price volatility continues to affect the cost structure of fleets.

Vise noted:  “Uncertainty over the market’s direction remains quite high.”

You can also explore visual charts for the April TCI and follow ongoing updates here:
👉 FTR Trucking Conditions Index

Where to Get the Full Picture

The April TCI data and deeper analysis are available in the June edition of FTR’s Trucking Update, which covers:

• Load volumes
• Capacity environment
• Freight rates
• Economic context
• Potential impact of new out-of-service criteria

Stay up to date on all the latest data!  Subscribe to our State Of Freight Today Updates!

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