The Department of Transportation's Freight Transportation Services Index rose 0.2 percent in June from its May level, rising after one monthly decline.


The Freight TSI has risen 4.7 percent over the last 13 months, starting in June 2009, after declining 15.3 percent in the previous 10 months beginning in August 2008. The index has increased in 10 of the last 13 months.

Through the first six months of 2010, the index fell 1.6 percent. The decline resulted from a 3.1 percent decrease in March following an upward revision of February numbers and the 0.4 percent decrease in May coupled with increases in January, February, April and June.

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 June Freight TSI of 97.9 is a 4.7 percent increase from the recent low of 93.5 reached in May 2009. In May 2009, the index was at its lowest level since June 1997. The June Freight TSI is down 13.3 percent from its historic peak of 112.9 reached in May 2006.

Although the index rose 4.1 percent from June 2009 to June 2010, it remains below the level of every other June since 1997 when it was 92.4. January 2010 was the first month since July 2008 in which the Freight TSI exceeded the level of the previous year. The index has exceeded the previous year's level every month since January but still remains below the level of recent earlier years.