According to data from the US Department of Transportations' Bureau of Transportation Statistics' Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI), the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry rose 0.1 percent in July from June, increasing after a one-month decline.
July 2012 freight shipments rose 1.9 percent from July 2011 and 12.9 percent from July 2009, during the recession, but remain below the level in July 2006 prior to the recession.
Freight shipments in July 2012 were at the sixth highest monthly level since the early recession month of July 2008 despite the 3.8 percent decline from its peak in December 2011, which was the highest level in the 22-year history of the Freight TSI series.