September 6, 2005 1:30 PM, EDT

DOT's Transportation Index Falls After Three Straight Gains

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he Department of Transportation said Tuesday its transportation services index fell 0.6% in June from May, turning around three consecutive months of increases.

The index level fell to 112 from 112.6 in May, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in its monthly report.

The TSI for freight fell 0.5% to 112.6 from the May level of 113.1, also the first monthly drop following three increases.

Compared with last year, the overall TSI rose 2.4% while the freight index increased 1.1%, BTS said.

The TSI passengers’ index fell 0.8% to 110.3, the first drop since February.

SI is a seasonally adjusted monthly index measuring the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipeline and local transit.

It includes data dating back to 1990, with changes measured against the base year of 1996. DOT said the index is still under development and is considered experimental.