Freight transportation index jumps 1.7% from February to March

The amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry rose 1.7 percent in March from February, following a one-month decline, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week.

The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) for March was nearly 30 percent higher than during the most recent recession in April 2009.

The level of freight shipments in March was 0.4 percent below the all-time-high level of 123.4 in November 2014. BTS’ TSI records began in 2000.

The February index was revised to 120.9 from 120.4 in April. The January index also was revised slightly up with smaller upward revisions for the last three months of 2014.

The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments by mode of transportation in tons and ton-miles, which are 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.