--- title: April Trucking Conditions Index Signals Underlying Instability description: April Trucking Conditions Index drops, revealing underlying market instability due to shifts in freight volumes, rates, and diesel prices. image: https://today.ftrintel.com/hubfs/social%20images/Blog%20images/2025/06-June/TCI%20blog%20June%202025%20(1).png --- ![](https://today.ftrintel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/social%20images/Blog%20images/2025/06-June/TCI%20blog%20June%202025%20(1).png?width=1600&height=500&name=TCI%20blog%20June%202025%20(1).png) forecasting SCI # April Trucking Conditions Index Signals Underlying Instability ![Avery Vise, VP of Trucking](https://today.ftrintel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Avery%20outside_cropped.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=Avery%20outside_cropped.jpg) Avery Vise, VP of Trucking June 23, 2025 April Trucking Conditions Index Signals Underlying Instability 1:58 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:  * > > *![Avery outside_cropped](https://today.ftrintel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Marketing%20Collateral/FTR%20Headshots%20and%20Bios/Headshots/Cropped/Avery%20outside_cropped.jpg?width=121&height=121&name=Avery%20outside_cropped.jpg)“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](https://www.ftrintel.com/trucking-conditions-index) --- ## Where to Get the Full Picture ![FTR blog_subscriptions_TU download report](https://today.ftrintel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/social%20images/Blog%20images/2025/FTR%20blog_subscriptions_TU%20download%20report.jpg?width=276&height=276&name=FTR%20blog_subscriptions_TU%20download%20report.jpg)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 [Download a Sample Report Today!](https://freight.ftrintel.com/truckingupdate/sample) --- [![FTR_SOF Today 1-1](https://content.ftrintel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/social%20images/Blog%20images/2025/FTR_SOF%20Today%201-1.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=FTR_SOF%20Today%201-1.jpg) ](https://www.ftrintel.com/state-of-freight-today) Stay up to date on all the latest data!  Subscribe to our State Of Freight Today Updates! [![11 Podcast Graphics - Updated 5.28.24(2)](https://content.ftrintel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/11%20Podcast%20Graphics%20-%20Updated%205.28.24(2).png?width=1200&length=1200&name=11%20Podcast%20Graphics%20-%20Updated%205.28.24(2).png) ](https://www.ftrintel.com/trucking-podcast) **Stay Ahead of the Curve with Our Trucking Podcast with Avery Vise!** Your go-to source for expert insights, industry trends, and actionable strategies in the trucking industry. Tune in weekly and drive your business forward! ![Truck Track General](https://5867190.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/5867190/hubfs/2025%20Conference/Social/Truck%20Track%20General.png?width=1200&length=1200&name=Truck%20Track%20General.png) Ready to get a clearer view of what’s ahead in trucking? The Truck Track at the FTR Conference brings together carriers, brokers, shippers, and suppliers for straight talk, sharp insights, and data-backed forecasts you can actually use. If you move freight or manage equipment, this is where your smarter strategy starts. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Ftoday.ftrintel.com%2Ftci-blog-june-2025](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Ftoday.ftrintel.com%2Ftci-blog-june-2025) ## Keep reading [![](https://today.ftrintel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Marketing%20Collateral/Blogs/Blog%20images/2026/July/_Class%208%20July%202026%20blog.png?width=1600&height=500&name=_Class%208%20July%202026%20blog.png) class 8 trucks forecasting ### Class 8 Orders Surge Again as Industry Nears 2026 Production Capacity ](https://today.ftrintel.com/class-8-july-2026) [![](https://today.ftrintel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Marketing%20Collateral/Blogs/Blog%20images/2026/June/_RMU%20June%2026%202026%20blog.png?width=1600&height=500&name=_RMU%20June%2026%202026%20blog.png) intermodal carload Rail ### Rail Traffic Holds Steady While Intermodal Extends Its Winning Streak ](https://today.ftrintel.com/rmu-june-26-2026) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Avery Vise, VP of Trucking", "url" : "https://today.ftrintel.com/author/avery-vise" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-23T13:00:04.473Z", "datePublished" : "2025-06-23T13:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "April Trucking Conditions Index Signals Underlying Instability", "image" : [ "https://today.ftrintel.com/hubfs/social%20images/Blog%20images/2025/06-June/TCI%20blog%20June%202025%20(1).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://today.ftrintel.com/tci-blog-june-2025", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://today.ftrintel.com/hubfs/FTR%20Logos%20and%20Icons/FTR_Logo_Primary_FullColor.png" }, "name" : "FTR | Transportation Intelligence" } } ```