Freight Transportation Services Index down 1.0 percent in November

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), recently published the latest Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) for November 2015.

The BTS analyzes Freight TSI using month-to-month shifts in freight shipments. These are measured based on mode of transportation for ton-miles and tons. These figures are then combined into a single index. Experts use the index to analyze the for-hire freight-transportation industry’s output because it also uses data concerning for-hire rail, trucking, pipelines, inland waterways and air freight.

The index said freight transported with the for-hire transportation industry declined 1.0 percent between October and November 2015. This decline follows a rise from one month prior. (It is important to note that the index from October has been changed from 123.2 to 123.5.)

The overall index for November 2015 amounted to 122.3, which was 29.1 more than the figure from April 2009, the lowest point of the latest recession.

The current Freight TSI for November 2015 shows that the total amount of freight shipments is 1.1 percent under the record high from November 2014, which was 123.7.

According to the Freight TSI, all of the freight modes declined for November 2015. Experts attribute this to declines in mining, manufacturing, and gas-well and oil-well drilling and servicing.