The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that its Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) dropped from December to January, falling for the second straight month after five months of sequential growth.
At 123.8, the Freight TSI was down 0.2 percent compared to December and 29.9 percent higher than April 2009’s low of 94.6, which was during the depths of the recession. It was slightly below November’s 123.9, which is the historic peak for the Freight TSI, according to BTS.
According to BTS officials, the Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles, which are then combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.
BTS said that even though the Freight TSI has been down for two straight months, it is still higher than it had been at any point before last November’s high.