After remaining unchanged from November to December, the Freight Transportation Services Index has gained 0.4 percent in January
, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

In December, the Index stayed at its November level of 96.2 after gaining 1.8 percent from October. This month's rise brings the Index up to 96.6, a 3.3 percent jump from the recent low of 93.5 reached in May. In May, the index was at its lowest level since June 1997. The Freight TSI is down 14.4 percent from its historic peak of 112.9 reached in May 2006.

Since June, the Freight TSI index has gained 3.3 percent, increasing in six of the last eight months. In 2009, the index was down 4.1 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.

For additional historical data, visit www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml.