Economy starting to turn around?, TSI Index up and freight trucking

Finally! The much needed and awaited increase for the Freight Transportation Services Index came this summer. The United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has reported that its Freight Transportation Services Index (Freight TSI) was up 1.6 percent from June to July. This was the first sequential increase since February and is the biggest monthly gain since January 2008. U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is being optimistic and sees this as a promising in the right direction. The Freight Transportation Services Index measures the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, and it includes data from for-hire trucking company's, rail, inland waterways, pipelines, and air freight.
According to LaHood, “The rise in the freight index for the first time since February is a sign that the economic recovery is beginning. Between the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the cash for clunkers program and other actions this Administration has taken, I am hopeful that the economy is starting to turn around. However, despite this tangible sign of progress, we all know that we still have a long way to go. We will redouble our efforts to make sure transportation infrastructure is one of the drivers for the future.” Despite the sequential uptick, the current Freight TSI level is the lowest July level it has been since 1997’s 94.8. And the 13.5 percent year-over-year July decrease is its biggest decline for that period in 20 years. I don’t know much about the industry, however, it seems it’s good to track the fluctuating indexes to get a rough idea on how the industry is responding to the current economic situation.

Make sure you ship freight with trucking company's that you feel safe transporting your goods.