DOT Freight Transport Index Rises 4.9%
The Department of Transportation’s freight transportation services index rose 4.9% in November from a year ago, DOT said Wednesday.
The freight TSI edged up 0.1% from October, DOT’s Bureau of Trade Statistics said in its monthly report. That followed a dip in October that had been preceded by four month-to-month increases.
The 109.5 reading is the second-highest since July 2008, said DOT, which uses a baseline reading of 100 from the year 2000.
Freight shipments through the first 11 months of 2011 were 2.4% over 2010, DOT said. The index rose 4% year-to-year in October.
Shipments have risen 2.1% in the five years from November 2006 and 12% in 10 years from November 2001, despite declines in recent years.
The freight 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.
