In The News

Freight index rose in March

The Freight Transportation Services Index rose 0.9 percent in March from February, increasing for the third consecutive month, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported today, May 12.

The March Freight TSI gained 2.6 percent from March 2009, the first year-to-year increase in the freight index since July 2008.

Since June, BTS reported the Freight TSI index has risen 4.5 percent, after declining 15.3 percent in the previous 10 months. The index has increased in eight of the last 10 months. For this year, the index has increased 1.6 percent.

The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles, which are then combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.

The March Freight TSI of 97.8 is a 4.5 percent increase from the recent low of 93.5 reached in May 2009. The Freight TSI is down 13.4 percent from its peak of 112.9 in May 2006.

www.eTrucker.com