DOT Freight Transportation Index Rises 5.3% in Oct.
The Department of Transportation’s freight transportation services index rose 5.3% in October from the same month last year, DOT said Dec. 11.
The freight TSI declined 0.7% from September’s all-time high to a reading of 114.3, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in its monthly report.
DOT uses a baseline reading of 100 from the year 2000.
“During the quarter, revised gross domestic product growth of 3.6% was heavily driven by an increase in private inventories — which may have accounted for much of the TSI growth,” BTS said in its report.
“The 0.7% decrease in October freight transportation was driven by decreases in airfreight, rail carloads and particularly in trucking. The decrease follows three months of increases during the July-through- September quarter,” according to the report.
September’s record reading was revised down to 115.1 from 115.8.
The index remained above its 2012 range for the 10th straight month. Every month in 2013 has exceeded 2012’s high point of 112.3, reached in December.
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.
