Truck Freight

Tuesday, September 12th

From sessions to networking, we impact your decision-making

This freight-focused assessment of the trucking industry will dive deep into the current state of the economic, regulatory, and industrial factors that impact the demand for freight and rate pressure. With an excellent agenda featuring renowned industry speakers as well as exclusive forecasts powered by the FTR Freight•cast forecasting methodology, you'll leave the 2023 FTR Transportation Conference with a crystal clear understanding of where the trucking market is headed in the near and long terms.

 
ATTENDEES CAN EXPECT: 
 
  • Exclusive economic and freight forecasts from FTR

  • Examinations of regulatory and legal developments and a dive into the nagging driver supply issues

  • Keynote session providing insights from a major industry executive

  • Carrier, shipper, and broker perspectives on the state of the market and expectations for the coming year

  • Discussion of specific developments that could transform how the market operates

What should you expect for the Truck Freight session?

2023 ATTENDEES SHOULD EXPECT: 
 
  • Exclusive economic and freight forecasts from FTR

  • Examinations of regulatory and legal developments and a dive into the nagging driver supply issues

  • Keynote session providing insights from a major industry executive

  • Carrier, shipper, and broker perspectives on the state of the market and expectations for the coming year

  • Discussion of specific developments that could transform how the market operates

Join the email list to be notified when registration goes live!

Truck Freight Agenda

Click on the agenda titles below to view 2022's session descriptions.

6:30 AM - Indy Canal Run/Walk

Meet in the Crowne Plaza lobby. Start your day off right with a 3 or 5-mile run, or a 2-mile walk down the Indy canal. A great time to enjoy the beauty of Indianapolis and engage with your colleagues. Participants also receive a complimentary running shirt.

7:30 AM Women in Transportation Meet & Greet

Join us for the Women in Transportation Meet and Greet. FTR’s VP of Client Services, Helen Lile, will host an informal gathering for women, allowing attendees the chance to connect and engage with other female leaders in the transportation industry.

8:45 AM - Welcome
9:00 AM - Economic Outlook: Do We Finally Have Clarity?

More than three years after pandemic lockdowns, the U.S. economy continues to operate in ways that do not quite match up with the business cycles we typically saw before 2020. This session will review trends in the consumer, labor, industrial, and construction sectors and try to answer a key question: Is the economy simply taking longer to return to normal or is there a "new normal?"

Presenter: 
TBA

9:45 AM - The Road Ahead: FTR’s Perspective on Truck Freight

Hear FTR's outlook for freight, utilization, and rates for the coming year and its assessment of upside and downside risks.

Presenter: 
Avery Vise, FTR

10:15 AM - Networking Break
10:30 AM - Dry Van Market: Finally a Smooth Ride?

Dry van has seen the biggest market swings of all trucking segments over the past three years due to volatility in stimulus-driven consumer demand, supply chain disruptions in automotive, and stresses in the competitive intermodal sector. Has the segment finally entered a period of incremental movements or will the roller coaster ride continue? Hear perspectives from leading dry van carriers and shippers.

Panelists: 
TBA

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

11:00 AM - Refrigerated Market: Chill or Too Hot to Handle?

While overall consumer demand in refrigerated goods did not experience the wild swings dry van did during the pandemic, refrigerated saw its own challenges due to supply disruptions and swings in where consumption occurred. Has the refrigerated market settled or will it run hot and cold? Hear perspectives from leading refrigerated carriers and shippers.

Panelists: 
Jackie Bailey, Cargill
TBA

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

11:30 AM - Flatbed Market: Outperforming Expectations?

The flatbed spot volumes have softened due to weakness in the key construction and manufacturing sectors while spot rates have consistently run notably above average. One issue is that flatbed lacks the fluidity of capacity seen in the van segments, but is there more to the story? Hear perspectives from leading flatbed carriers and shippers.

Panelists: 
Rob Roberson, Nucor
TBA

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

12:00 PM - Lunch Sponsored by Atlantic Logistics
1:00 PM - Truck Freight Keynote

Where is the truck freight market going and how are relationships between carriers and their customers and employees changing? Hear insights into the current market landscape and into what the future might hold from a recognized leader in the trucking industry. 

Presenters:
TBA
Eric Starks, FTR

1:30 PM - Broker Perspectives: A View from the Middle

The extreme market stress that fueled brokers' shipment volumes in 2020 and 2021 has normalized. Can intermediaries find a path to more consistent business conditions and, if so, how? Hear perspectives from leading broker/logistics firms.

Panelists: 
Robert Hopper, Atlantic Logistics
TBA

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

2:00 PM - How Trucking Looks from Wall Street

Publicly traded carriers and logistics companies represent only a fraction of the overall market, but their transparency offers valuable insights into trends in the transportation industry. Hear insights on truck transportation from a leading equities analyst.

Presenter:
Bruce Chan, Stifel

2:30 PM - Networking Break
2:45 PM - Driverless Trucks: The Road Less Travelled By

Autonomous trucks are rivaled only by electric trucks as the sexiest trend in trucking, but progress toward driverless trucking is not easy to assess. Hear from consulting firm Roland Berger regarding what approaches appear to be most promising, what challenges remain, and what timelines for routine operations appear reasonable.

Presenter: 
Wilfried Aulbur, Roland Berger

3:15 PM - 2033: A Trucking Odyssey

The closing session of the conference's Truck Freight day builds on the autonomous trucking session to look at other ways the industry might change, including not only on-highway and back-office technology but also business models and relationships between carriers and their customers, suppliers, and workers. Hear from a panel of thought leaders on where trucking is heading.

Panelists: 
James Reed, Kodiak 
TBA

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

5:30 PM - Evening Reception - Sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies

Location:  Indiana Rail Road Headquarters, Indianapolis, IN

Details Coming Soon! 

Truck Freight Speakers

Truck Freight Agenda

Click on the agenda titles below to view 2023's session descriptions.

6:30 AM - Indy Canal Run/Walk
Start your day off right with a 3 or 5-mile run, or a 2-mile walk down the Indy canal. A great time to enjoy the beauty of Indianapolis and engage with your colleagues. Participants also receive a complimentary running shirt.
8:45 AM - Welcome
9:00 AM - Economic Outlook: Do We Finally Have Clarity?

More than three years after pandemic lockdowns, the U.S. economy continues to operate in ways that do not quite match up with business cycles we typically saw before 2020. This session will review trends in the consumer, labor, industrial, and construction sectors and try to answer a key question: Is the economy simply taking longer to return to normal or is there a "new normal?"

Presenters: TBA
9:45 AM - The Road Ahead: FTR's Perspective on Truck Freight

Hear FTR's outlook for freight, utilization, and rates for the coming year and its assessment of upside and downside risks.

Presenter: 
Avery Vise, FTR

 

10:15 PM - Networking Break
10:30 AM - Dry Van Market: Finally a Smooth Ride?

Dry van has seen the biggest market swings of all trucking segments over the past three years due to volatility in stimulus-driven consumer demand, supply chain disruptions in automotive, and stresses in the competitive intermodal sector. Has the segment finally entered a period of incremental movements or will the roller coaster ride continue? Hear perspectives from leading dry van carriers and shippers.

Presenter:
TBA

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

11:00 AM - Refrigerated Market: Chill or Too Hot to Handle?

While overall consumer demand in refrigerated goods did not experience the wild swings dry van did during the pandemic, refrigerated saw its own challenges due to supply disruptions and swings in where consumption occurred. Has the refrigerated market settled or will it run hot and cold? Hear perspectives from leading refrigerated carriers and shippers.

Presenter:
Jackie Bailey, Cargill
Chad England, C.R. England

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

11:30 AM - Flatbed Market: Outperforming Expectations?

The flatbed spot volumes have softened due to weakness in the key construction and manufacturing sectors while spot rates have consistently run notably above average. One issue is that flatbed lacks the fluidity of capacity seen in the van segments, but is there more to the story? Hear perspectives from leading flatbed carriers and shippers.

Presenter:
Rob Roberson, Nucor

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

12:00 PM - Lunch

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1:00 PM - Truck Freight Keynote

Where is the truck freight market going and how are relationships between carriers and their customers and employees changing? Hear insights into the current market landscape and into what the future might hold from a recognized leader in the trucking industry.

Presenter:
Rebecca Wlazlo, Crate & Barrel

Moderator: 
Eric Starks, FTR

1:30 PM - Broker Perspectives: A View from the Middle

The extreme market stress that fueled brokers' shipment volumes in 2020 and 2021 has normalized. Can intermediaries find a path to more consistent business conditions and, if so, how? Hear perspectives from leading broker/logistics firms.

Presenter:
Liz Wayne, Able Transport Solutions
Robert Hooper, Atlantic Logistics

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

2:00 PM - How Trucking Looks from Wall Street

Publicly traded carriers and logistics companies represent only a fraction of the overall market, but their transparency offers valuable insights into trends in the transportation industry. Hear insights on truck transportation from a leading equities analyst.

Presenter:
Bruce Chan, Stifel

2:15 PM - Networking Break
2:45 PM - Driverless Trucks: The Road Less Travelled By

Autonomous trucks are rivaled only by electric trucks as the sexiest trend in trucking, but progress toward driverless trucking is not easy to assess. Hear from consulting firm Roland Berger regarding what approaches appear to be most promising, what challenges remain, and what timelines for routine operations appear reasonable.

Presenter:
Wilfried Aulbur, Roland Berger

3:15 PM - 2033: A Trucking Odyssey

The closing session of the conference's Truck Freight day builds on the autonomous trucking session to look at other ways the industry might change, including not only on-highway and back-office technology but also business models and relationships between carriers and their customers, suppliers, and workers. Hear from a panel of thought leaders on where trucking is heading.

Presenter:
James Reed, Kodiak

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

5:30 PM - Evening Reception: The Greenbrier Boxcar Bar

Location: Indiana Rail Road HQ

Join us for an unforgettable evening reception, The Greenbrier Boxcar Bar sponsored by The Greenbrier Companies and hosted by Indiana Railroad!

This unique networking reception will take place at the impeccably designed office space of Indiana Railroad, modeled after a nostalgic southwestern rail depot, where the Greenbrier Boxcar Bar will be serving appetizers, wine, and beer.

Come connect with old industry friends, make new ones, explore exciting opportunities, and enjoy what will surely be a memorable event at a memorable venue.
No need for a long walk as a shuttle service will be provided from Union Station to the Indiana Railroad office and back.

View 2023 Session Details Below

Truck Freight agenda

Download the Truck Freight agenda in PDF.

Previous companies by industry

View companies in your industry that have previously attended.

Truck Freight Speakers

Click the dots below to scroll through this 2023's fantastic list of speakers.

Wilfried Aulbur Senior Partner, Roland Berger
John Bozec SVP of Operations, Schneider
Bruce Chan Associate VP, Stifel
Chad England CEO, C.R. England
Rob Hooper CEO, Atlantic Logistics
James Reed COO, Kodiak
Rob Roberson Director of Corporate Logistics, Nucor
Eric Starks Chairman of the Board, FTR
Jonathan Starks CEO & Chief Intelligence Officer, FTR
Avery Vise Vice President, Trucking, FTR
Liz Wayne President, Able Transport Solutions
Rebecca Wlazlo Sr. VP, Supply Chain, Crate & Barrel

Truck Freight Platinum Sponsor

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Sponsorships available

Learn about becoming a sponsor for the 2023 Conference.