According to a report from the US Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics' (BTS) Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI), the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry rose 0.2 percent in September from August. 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 Freight TSI in September 2012 continued a pattern of little change since January as some other indicators showed an uptick in economic growth. Since peaking in December 2011 at the highest level in the 22-year history of the Freight TSI series, the index has remained in a narrow band during the nine months of 2012. It reached a high of 110.6 in February and a low of 109.0 in August.
September 2012 freight shipments rose 0.1 percent from September 2011 and 11.5 percent from September 2009, which was in the trough of the recession. The Freight TSI fell 0.3 percent in Q3 following no change in Q2 and a 3.9 percent decline in Q2.