The amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry rose 1.2 percent in February from January, rising for the fourth consecutive month, according to the US Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics' (BTS) Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) released Wednesday. The February 2013 index level was 20.1 percent above the April 2009 low during the recession and the highest level since December 2011. February 2013 freight shipments were up 2.7 percent from February 2012.
The Freight TSI increased for a fourth consecutive month in February 2013, with growth across most freight modes. This increase was consistent with several other indicators pointing to economic growth in February.