BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Deteriorating trucking conditions bounced back in November, thanks to a slightly firmer rate environment and lower diesel prices, according to the latest FTR Trucking Conditions Index.

The index rebounded 2.5 points from October, to 5.84. The reading was basically unchanged from a year ago. FTR projects a more stable path in 2019, culminating in a near neutral reading by mid-year.

“We would anticipate that trucking conditions will be relatively stable through the first quarter of 2019 and perhaps a bit beyond that, but the second half of the year should be noticeably weaker due to factors such as lower active truck utilization and increased cost of capital,” said Avery Vise, vice-president of trucking. “At this point we expect trucking conditions still to be slightly positive by the end of the year, although the downside risks clearly seem greater than the upside.”