DOT Reports Downturn in Freight Index

Freight shipments measured in ton-miles fell 0.4 percent in May after two consecutive monthly increases, the Department of Transportation reported.

The Freight Transportation Services Index has risen in nine of the last 12 months and 4.4 percent during the last year after declining 15.3 percent in the previous 10 months beginning in August 2008.

By The Numbers: JOC-ECRI Industrial Price Index.

The index measures month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles. It encompasses shipments using for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight. Recent reports from the trucking and rail industries confirm the overall picture from DOT.

Through the first five months of 2010 the index declined 1.9 percent, with small increases in January, March and April, a 3.5 percent decrease in February, and the 0.4 percent decrease in May.

The seasonally adjusted index measures changes from the base year of 2000. The May index stood at 97.7, up from the recent low of 93.5 last May but down from its peak of 112.9 in May 2006.

-- Contact Joseph Bonney at jbonney@joc.com.