Transportation Services Index Declines 0.2% in June

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he Department of Transportation said Tuesday its Transportation Services Index declined 0.2% in June to a 123.9, the second straight decrease, while the freight TSI also declined.

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.

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

DOT said it revised down the index for the previous two months, so although it originally reported May's TSI as a new record high, it actually declined to 124.1 from 124.5 in April.

DOT said the TSI for freight declined 0.4% in June. The freight index was 6.2% higher than June 2003.

The report also noted the passengers index rose 0.3% in June, following 0.3% drop the month before.