FTR

What FTR does

FTR (Freight Transportation Research Associates, Inc.) is a privately held freight transportation forecasting and market intelligence firm founded in 1985 and headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana. The company provides subscription-based intelligence and forecasting services to transportation professionals across North America — including shippers, carriers, brokers, 3PLs, railroads, equipment manufacturers, and financial institutions. Its product portfolio centers on the proprietary Freight•cast™ forecasting model, an econometric (economically-derived demand) model that uses industrial production data, import/export flows, and proprietary modal-split algorithms to forecast freight transportation demand and segment volume across trucking, rail, intermodal, and barge modes.

The Freight•cast™ model underpins a catalog of more than a dozen subscription services, including Trucking Update, Rail Update, Shippers Update, Intermodal Monthly, Truck & Trailer Outlook, N.A. Trailer Analysis & Outlook, Rail Equipment Outlook, Rail Equipment Monthly, Rail Closer Look Series, US Freight Outlook by Mode, State of Freight Insights, and the Energy Transport Insider (tank car lease benchmarking tool). FTR also publishes several proprietary indices — notably the Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) and Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) — and a Railcar Utilization Rate computed via a methodology distinct from AAR's. Distribution and demand generation are driven by a multi-channel content engine: a weekly Trucking Market Update Podcast (reaching Episode 370 by June 2026), monthly State of Freight webinars, the State of Freight Today blog/newsletter, and an annual Transportation Conference in Indianapolis.

FTR generates revenue through two streams: (1) annual recurring subscriptions across its forecasting services, which auto-renew after 12 months and are accessible via a dedicated client portal (ftrclient.com), with pricing not publicly disclosed; and (2) Tailored Solutions — custom consulting, speaking engagements, market research, data pulls, and bespoke projects billed at then-current rates. The company employs between 11 and 50 people, claims 270+ years of combined industry analyst experience, and has notable enterprise customers across rail equipment (Greenbrier, GATX), manufacturing (Timken, Dana, Bendix), tires (Continental), food & beverage (Bob Evans Farms), and logistics technology (Truckstop). The firm operates without disclosed external funding, parent company, or public listing, with leadership including both Jonathan Starks (CEO) and Eric Starks (President and CEO).

Name

FTR

Legal name

Freight Transportation Research Associates, Inc.

Website

https://ftrintel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FTR is a private freight transportation forecasting and market intelligence firm founded in 1985 and headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, serving shippers, carriers, railroads, equipment manufacturers, 3PLs, and financial institutions with subscription-based econometric freight demand forecasts and proprietary indices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Forecast Subscription Services: Annual subscription services providing exclusive FTR forecasts, indices, and thought-leadership tools published on regular schedules. Services include Trucking Update, Rail Update, Shippers Update, Intermodal Monthly, Truck & Trailer Outlook, Rail Equipment Outlook, and more. Subscriptions auto-renew after 12 months.
2. Tailored Solutions: Custom consulting, speaking engagements, market research, data pulls, and custom projects billed at then-current custom project rates. Includes strategic planning, business development, market expansion, acquisitions, and commercial strategies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FTR (Freight Transportation Research Associates, Inc.) is a freight transportation research and forecasting firm that provides subscription-based intelligence services to transportation professionals. The company uses its proprietary Freight•cast econometric model to forecast freight demand across multiple modes including trucking, rail, intermodal, and barge, and delivers this intelligence through subscription reports, indices, webinars, podcasts, and custom consulting engagements.

Product overview

FTR operates as a freight transportation research and forecasting firm offering a platform of subscription-based intelligence services. The portfolio centers on the Freight•cast econometric forecasting model supplemented by multiple subscription services covering trucking (Trucking Update, Truck & Trailer Outlook), rail (Rail Update, Rail Equipment Outlook, Rail Equipment Monthly, Rail Closer Look Series), intermodal (Intermodal Monthly), and shipper analysis (Shippers Update). Additional services include the US Freight Outlook by Mode, State of Freight Insights package, Energy Transport Insider for tank car leasing, Tailored Solutions consulting, the annual Transportation Conference, and the weekly Trucking Market Update Podcast. The services are available as individual subscriptions or can be bundled, with the Freight•cast model serving as the foundational forecasting methodology across all offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Freight•cast: FTR's proprietary forecasting model that provides freight transportation demand forecasts across all modes.
• State of Freight TODAY
• Trucking Update
• Shippers Update
• Rail Update
• Truck & Trailer Outlook
• Rail Equipment Outlook
• Energy Transport Insider

Products and services

• Trucking Update Provides near-term freight volumes, truck utilization, pricing, driver labor dynamics, trucker economics, and truck capacity forecasts for the trucking industry.
• Rail Update Offers near-term U.S. carloadings and intermodal outlook along with current rail freight environment analysis, including carload activity and rail pricing forecasts.
• Shippers Update Delivers essential information on freight volumes, capacity, transport costs, shippers conditions, and forecasts for trucking, rail, intermodal, and the U.S. economy.
• Intermodal Monthly Provides forecasts for intermodal pricing, freight demand, movements by equipment size and traffic corridors, and port activity trends.
• US Freight Outlook by Mode Contains historical data and forecasts for tonnage, ton-miles, and loadings across 36 commodity families for rail, Class 8 truck, Class 5-7, intermodal, inland barge, pipeline, and air freight.
• State of Freight Insights Thought leadership package consisting of a Weekly Transportation Update, Monthly C-Suite Synopsis, Industry Assessment, and white papers covering freight transportation analysis.
• Truck & Trailer Outlook Monthly report providing North American commercial vehicle equipment forecasts covering Class 8 trucks, trailers by type, and medium-duty vehicles (Classes 4-7).
• N.A. Trailer Analysis & Outlook Report providing current FTR forecasts for major trailer segments with economic overview for the North American trailer market.
• Rail Equipment Outlook Quarterly report providing forecasts for rail equipment production by car family with detailed unit forecasts and 5-year quarterly breakdowns.
• Rail Equipment Monthly Analysis of industry-leading Umler System data covering new additions by registration and build date, retirements, scrappage, population, and average age for 87 unique car types.
• Rail Closer Look Series Six individual reports scrutinizing the current railcar market with advanced analytics for tank car, covered hopper, open-top hopper, flat car, boxcar, and gondola.
• Energy Transport Insider Hazmat tank car lease benchmarking tool providing visibility into high, low, and average rates across multiple car types and lease terms.
• Freight•cast Forecasting Model Econometric forecasting model that tracks market conditions and forecasts freight and equipment demand across all transportation modes using proprietary methodology.
• Tailored Solutions Custom consulting, speaking engagements, market research, data pulls, and custom projects tailored to organizational needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trucking Conditions Index reached 9.3 in January 2026, highest reading since February 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TruckstopcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTruckstop is described as a 'proud partner' with FTR, providing freight and transportation trend analysis. The partnership combines Truckstop's load matching data with FTR's analytical expertise for market insights including the Spot Pressure Heatmap.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ACT Research Co., Inc. ACT Research is a leading provider of commercial vehicle (Class 8 trucks, trailers, medium-duty) and transportation market intelligence, with subscription forecasts, indices, and consulting. It is the most direct competitor to FTR's Truck & Trailer Outlook and State of Freight Insights offerings.
• DAT Solutions (now part of Roper): DAT operates the largest spot-market rate benchmark in North American trucking and publishes freight rate indices and analytics that FTR cites. It is a direct peer in freight market intelligence though its data is grounded in its load board rather than econometric forecasting.
• Cass Information Systems: Cass publishes the widely used Cass Freight Index tracking shipment volumes and expenditures across North American freight, serving shippers, carriers, and financial institutions—overlapping with FTR's Shippers Update, Trucking Update, and State of Freight Insights audience.
• FreightWaves (SONAR): FreightWaves operates SONAR, a real-time freight market data and analytics platform, and produces daily freight market media. It competes with FTR for shipper, carrier, and broker audiences, though with a more technology-forward, real-time delivery model rather than econometric forecasts.

Broad incumbents

• S&P Global Mobility: S&P Global Mobility covers commercial vehicle, automotive, and broader transportation data and forecasts at much greater scale. It is a broad incumbent whose commercial vehicle forecasting and trucking intelligence overlap with FTR's product scope.
• Bloomberg Intelligence: Bloomberg covers transportation and logistics at scale through equity research, data, and analytics. It is a broad incumbent providing some of the same macro freight market intelligence FTR delivers, while operating a vastly larger financial data platform.

Others

• Truckstop: Truckstop is a leading load board and freight matching platform and is explicitly named as an FTR partner on the Spot Pressure Heatmap. It is an adjacent ecosystem participant—different core business but a connected source of load data that complements FTR's forecasting.
• Stifel Transportation Research: Stifel's equity research division publishes well-known Trucking, Rail, and Airfreight notes that overlap thematically with FTR's forecasts. Coverage is research-driven rather than subscription intelligence but reaches the same investor and shipper decision-makers.
• TD Cowen Transportation Research: TD Cowen's transportation equity research covers freight, rail, trucking, and equipment OEMs, serving buy-side investors with intelligence themes that overlap FTR's shipper and equipment manufacturer customer segments.
• Morgan Stanley Equity Research (Transportation/Logistics): Morgan Stanley's transportation and logistics research is a sell-side product that competes for analyst attention with FTR's freight intelligence, particularly with the buy-side and shipping/logistics corporate clients on the financial institution segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ftrintel
• Xx.com/FTRintel
• Facebookfacebook.com/FTRintel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FTR