Trucking News Online reports that FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) for October declined from the previous month to a reading of minus-3.1. According to the report, the SCI, which has a forward-looking aspect, will fall further in 2016 with truck freight forecasted to grow at a robust 3.6 percent.  The report also states that shippers will ultimately be negatively affected by tight capacity in the second half of 2016, according to the trucking industry forecasting and analysis firm.

According to the Trucking News Online article, Jonathan Starks, FTR’s chief operating officer, said, “2016 is likely to start off with more of the same to end 2015 — businesses are still holding on to too much inventory but capacity utilization will remain elevated. We don’t expect to get a significant change in the operating environment until the latter half of 2016, and more significantly in 2017, as we prepare for a slew of regulatory implementations starting in late 2017."

Read the full Trucking News Online article - "FTR Shippers Conditions Index Dips for Month — Ahead of 2016 Concerns"