FTR: Freight still poised for an upswing

FTR: Freight still poised for an upswing

The firm's monthly trucking metric jumped up four points in April.

The trucking conditions index (TCI) compiled by research firm FTR Transportation Intelligence witnessed a four point jump in April to a reading of 7.03 compared to March; a sign that trucking industry conditions are expected to improve despite current year-over-year weakness in contract freight pricing.

The firm said freight demand is moving higher as the industrial sector continues to improve with trucking capacity tightening, with the first quarter of this year registering the second strongest freight growth of the current recovery.

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Survey: Paying for advanced vehicle systems a sticking point

Consumers are interested in acquiring a host of new vehicle technologies, such as telematics, but remain leery of their cost.

A new global survey by research firm IHS Markit of 5,000 vehicle owners in five countries -- the U.S., Canada, China, Germany and the United Kingdom (U.K.) – finds that while they “desire” more advanced technologies, such as telematics, in-car wireless network or “Wi-Fi” capability, and navigation systems, few seem willing to pay significantly extra to obtain them.

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