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Truck Freight

Tuesday, September 10th

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?

2024 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 2024'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.
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM - Women in Transportation Meet & Greet

Join us for the Women in Transportation Meet and Greet hosted by FTR’s COO, Jami Sargent. This informal gathering offers a unique opportunity for women in the transportation industry to connect, engage, and lead discussions on topics that matter most to them. Don't miss this chance to network and contribute to meaningful conversations.

Hosted by: 
Jami Sargent, FTR

7:30 AM - 8:45 AM - Breakfast

Located in the Union Station Exhibit Hall

8:30 AM - Truck Freight Kick-off
8:45 AM - What's on the Horizon for the U.S. Economy?

Insights from a prominent business economist delve into the current state of the economy and where the industrial and consumer sectors could be heading in the months ahead.

Presenters:
Coming Soon!

9:30 AM - The Road Ahead: FTR's Outlook for Truck Freight

FTR presents its predictions for freight demand, capacity, utilization, and freight rates, alongside an assessment of potential positive and negative factors influencing these forecasts.

Presenter: 
Coming Soon!

 

10:00 AM - Carriers' Perspectives on a Return to Growth

With the truck freight market gradually addressing excess capacity, a panel of trucking company executives discuss their strategies for navigating this unique market situation and their preparations for anticipated growth in the upcoming year.

Presenters: 
Coming Soon! 

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

10:30 PM - Networking Break
11:00 AM - Insights from Wall Street on Trucking and Logistics

The transparency required for publicly traded carriers and logistics firms offers valuable insights into the broader transportation market. A leading equities analyst addresses today's market exploring what challenges and opportunities might lie ahead.

Presenter:
Coming Soon! 

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

11:30 AM - Shippers' Views on a Changing Truck Freight Market

Shippers' cost relief in 2022 and 2023 did not offset the escalation in 2021, but they at least saw growing stability in capacity and rates. A panel of shippers discuss their views on today's market and how they are applying the lessons they learned the last time around.

Presenter:
Coming Soon! 

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

12:00 PM - Lunch Buffet
1:00 PM - Truck Freight Keynote

Following the cycle of stress and subsequent normalization experienced between 2020 and 2023, the truck freight market is now embarking on a more uncertain path. A respected transportation leader discusses where the truck freight market is going, and how recent history is shaping the market for the months and years ahead.

Presenter:
Coming Soon! 

Moderator: 
Eric Starks, FTR

1:30 PM - Brokers' Views on an Emergence from the Bottom

The tumultuous rollercoaster ride of the past four years has proven particularly challenging for freight brokers. A panel of leading broker/logistics firms discuss how they dealt with the ups and downs, and how they are applying the lessons of the previous cycle as they approach the next rise in the truck freight market.

Presenter:
Coming Soon! 

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

2:00 PM - How Regulation and Enforcement are Reshaping Trucking

Major actions like the ELD mandate have an obvious effect on capacity and productivity, but subtler changes can be significant. Hear from an expert on how government regulations and enforcement practices could change the truck freight market in the years to come.

Presenter:
Coming Soon! 

2:30 PM - Networking Break
3:00 PM - What Can A.I. Do for Truck Freight Today?

Discussions of generative artificial intelligence usually focus on a vision of the future, but benefits are here now. Hear perspectives on how A.I. is being applied today to make truck transportation more efficient. 

Presenter:
Coming Soon! 

3:30 PM - Hot Topic

Details Coming Soon!.

Presenter:
Coming Soon! 

Moderator: 
Avery Vise, FTR

4:00 PM - FTR Wrap-up: Bringing It All Together

In the day's final session, FTR's experts discuss aspects of their economic and truck freight forecasts along with risk assessments, taking into consideration insights shared by the day's speakers and panelists.

Presenters:
Coming Soon! 

4:30 PM - Market Intelligence Master Class

Join Derek Young, FTR’s VP of Sales & Marketing, as he discusses the importance of devoting resources to your market intelligence toolkit to protect your profits and maximize your margins.
He’ll discuss why a defined market intelligence process is more important now than ever before. You’ll learn who benefits, how the impact trickles throughout the organization, the key components of a robust process, and how FTR subscriptions help our clients with our turnkey market intelligence solutions.

Presenter: 
Derek Young, FTR

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

Details Coming Soon! 

View 2023 Session Details Below

Truck Freight agenda

Download the Truck Freight agenda in PDF.
Download Agenda

Previous companies by industry

View companies in your industry that have previously attended.
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Truck Freight Speakers

Click the dots below to scroll through this 2024's fantastic list of speakers.

Eric Starks Chairman of the Board, FTR
Jonathan Starks CEO & Chief Intelligence Officer, FTR
Avery Vise Vice President, Trucking, FTR

Truck Freight Platinum Sponsor

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Sponsorships available

Learn about becoming a sponsor for the 2024 Conference.