DOT Freight Transportation Index Rises in February
The Department of Transportation’s freight transportation services index rose 2.5% in February from the same month in 2014, DOT said April 8.
The freight TSI declined 1.7% from January to a reading of 120.4, dropping for the second consecutive month, DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in its monthly report.
“Unusual winter weather played a role in much of this decline in transportation-related economic activity. Transportation may also have been impacted by labor issues at West Coast ports,” DOT said in a statement.
The decline in February from the prior month is the second in three months after three months of growth and the lowest since June 2014.
February’s reading was 2.4% below the all-time high of 123.3 set in November. DOT uses a baseline reading of 100 from the year 2000.
The all-time high set in November was revised down to 123.3 from 123.6, and numbers for September and December also were adjusted downward.
“A large decline in rail carloads, rail intermodal, coupled with smaller declines in trucking and water resulted in the decline in the overall freight index in February despite an increase in pipeline,” DOT said.
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.
U.S. Department of Transportation