December 6, 2005 1:30 PM, EST

DOT's Transportation Index Rises; Freight Index Drops

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he Department of Transportation reported Tuesday that its transportation services index for September rose 0.1% from August, but the freight index declined.

The September TSI rose to 111.6, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in its monthly report.

The TSI for freight fell 0.6% to 111.8 in September from August, DOT reported.

Compared with the same month a year earlier, the overall TSI rose 2.1% while the freight index gained 0.9%, DOT said.

TSI 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.