BTS reports a slight increase in Freight TSI in November

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today that its Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) increased 0.1 percent from October to November.

This follows a 0.2 percent decline from September to October, a 0.9 percent gain from August to September, a 0.4 percent gain from July to August, flat growth from June to July, a 2.6 percent gain from May to June, and a 1.8 percent decline from April to May.

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.

The BTS said that the October Freight TSI at 109.5 down from September’s 109.6, which is the recent peak for shipment activity, but represents the highest level of any month since July 2008, which hit 109.9. September’s Freight TSI of 109.6 was its highest level in three years. And after falling to a recent low level of 94.3 in April 2009, freight shipment levels have been up in 21 of the last 31 months, said BTS.

On an annual basis, the November Freight TSI reading is up 4.9 percent compared to November 2010 and 9.4 percent from November 2009, which are all below the all-time November high of 112.5 from 2005. For the first 11 months of 2011 freight shipments as measured by the Freight TSI are up 2.4 percent.

BTS added that freight shipments in November are up 2.1 percent since November 2006 and up 12.0 percent since November 2001.