DOT Freight Transportation Index Rises to All-Time High
The Department of Transportation’s freight transportation services index rose to an all-time high in August, DOT said Oct. 15.
The index rose 2.1% to 123.5 in August from the same month in 2014, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in its monthly report.
The freight TSI is a seasonally adjusted monthly index measuring the output of services provided by for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipeline and local transit.
The previous record high of 123.4 was set in November 2014. DOT uses a baseline reading of 100 from the year 2000.
“Trucking and rail intermodal showed significant gains, while rail carload, aviation freight, and pipeline decreased, and waterborne was stable,” DOT said in a statement.
The July index was revised upward to 123.2 from 122.8.
“The increase occurred against a background of mixed indicators for the general economy — employment, personal income and housing starts all increased, while the Federal Reserve Board Industrial Production index fell,” DOT said.
The index increased 0.2% from July to August, rising for the second consecutive month.
