Bill Witte FTR39s economic expert shared his thoughts on the outlook for the US economy quotOne view holds that based on part history the average recovery and expansion period following a recession is 58 months or a little under 5 yearsquot he explained quotRight now we39re at 87 months Does that mean we are overdue for another recession Maybe Maybe notquot

Operations

FTR expands annual conference

April 23, 2018

Registration is now open for the annual conference, which will take place in September in Indianapolis.

Registration is live for the 2018 FTR Transportation Conference. In its 14th year, this conference brings together the different aspects of the freight transportation world into one place. This year's conference will be held Sept. 11-13, 2018 at Union Station in downtown Indianapolis.

FTR recently announced several changes to this year’s conference, including:

Expanding the number of content channels from four to five.
Introducing a new educational track for attendees called Transportation 101.
Offering a new networking opportunity: Women in Transportation luncheon.

According to FTR, content channels help attendees focus on the content that is most important for their businesses. This year, the five content channels will be:

Freightology: Sessions exploring transformative ideas in transportation
State of Freight: Sessions exploring the relationship between the economy and freight
Shippers, Brokers, & Carriers: Sessions exploring the relationship between shippers, brokers, and carriers, as well as forecasting demand and capacity
Truck & Trailer Equipment: Sessions exploring forecasting for new and used equipment
Rail Equipment: Sessions exploring forecasting and current conditions

Transportation 101

These sessions are expected to help attendees better understand the transportation marketplace. Trucking can executives can leverage this session to better understand rail and intermodal, and vice-versa.

Topics to be addressed include:

The economic and regulatory factors behind the industry’s evolution
The varied equipment types and commodities moved by each mode
Present trends in freight transportation and a brief look at what to expect going forward

Women in Transportation luncheon

FTR’s vice president of customer relations Helen Lile will host an informal lunch on Thursday, Sept.13, for women in rail, equipment, shipping, and trucking. This opportunity will allow attendees the chance to connect and engage with other female leaders in the transportation industry. Lunch is included with the registration fee.