JOC Staff | Oct 03, 2012 11:59AM EDT
Business conditions for trucking companies improved in August, and are likely to keep improving despite slow economic growth, according to transportation research firm FTR Associates.
FTR’s monthly Trucking Conditions Index climbed 1.4 points to 5.8 in August. Any reading above 0 indicates a positive pricing and business environment for motor carriers.
While acknowledging “inherent economic risks," FTR expects truckers to keep pricing clout in 2013 as more stringent federal regulations tighten the supply of drivers and trucks.
The research firm pointed to changes in truck driver hours of service rules scheduled to take effect in July that could reduce the time some drivers spend on the road.
That would cut into the number of "turns" those drivers may complete in a week, effectively removing capacity from the market.