The Freight Transportation Services Index was down in October from its September level, its second straight monthly fall following September's 0.5 percent decrease
, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The Freight TSI was off 1.2 percent from September, landing at 94.5 during the month.

Prior to September, the index had seen four straight months without a decline, the first four-month period without a decline in the index since 2002. However, despite the boost, the index has dropped in 11 of the past 15 months and in six of the 10 months in 2009.

The 10.5 percent drop in the index from October 2008 to October 2009 was the largest October-to-October decline in the 20 years for which the TSI is calculated.

The October Freight TSI was 1 percent above the recent low of 93.5 reached in May. In May, the index was at its lowest level in more than a decade since June 1997. The index is down 16.3 percent from its historic peak of 112.9 in May 2006.

The freight index is also down 14.2 percent in the five years from October 2004. The index is down 9.3 percent in the 10 years from October 1999.

The freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire freight transportation industries. The index 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.