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.
