The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI), fell 0.7% in July from June, falling after one month of growth, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
BTS said from July 2025 to July 2026 the index fell 2.0%.
The Freight TSI measures the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry.
BTS said it estimates pipeline petroleum, air freight, and air passenger one month ahead of reported data (i.e., the pipeline and air data are available through June, BTS estimates the July pipeline petroleum, air freight, and air passenger in the July index). BTS also estimated waterborne data for July due to the data being unavailable.
“Monthly data has changed from previous releases due to the use of concurrent seasonal analysis, which results in seasonal analysis factors changing as each month’s data are added,” BTS stated in a news release. “BTS revised the June freight index to 136.6 from 134.9 in last month’s release and the June passenger index to 128.8 from 129.0.”
The TSI measures the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries. The freight index measures changes in freight shipments while the passenger index measures changes in passenger travel.
“The TSI tells us how the output of transportation services increased or decreased from month to month,” BTS’ release stated. “The index can be examined together with other economic indicators to produce a better understanding of the current and future course of the economy. The movement of the index over time can be compared with other economic measures to understand the relationship of changes in transportation output to changes in Gross Domestic Product.”
The freight transportation index consists of:
- For-hire trucking
- Railroad freight services (including rail-based intermodal shipments such as containers on flat cars)
- Inland waterways transportation
- Pipeline transportation (including principally petroleum and petroleum products and natural gas)
- Air freight
The index does not include international or coastal waterborne movements, private trucking, courier services, or the US Postal Service.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
