BTS

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June’s Freight TSI reading—at 142.4—topped May’s 140.0 (downwardly revised from an original reading of 140.1), for its highest reading since BTS began tracking it in 2000. This tops the previous high, of 142.0 set in August 2019 after increasing in 19 of the 34 months since that earlier peak, according to BTS.

The January reading—at 138.9—headed up for the fifth consecutive month, increasing 1.2% over December and posting a 1.7% annual gain. It also was 1.8% above January 2020’s pre-pandemic reading, at 136.5 and 2.3% below the all-time high, of 142.1, recorded in August 2019.

The August reading—at 134.1—slipped 0.4% from July to August, falling sequentially for the fourth consecutive month, which BTS attributed to seasonally-adjusted decreases in rail carloads, rail intermodal, airfreight, and water, while pipeline headed up and trucking remained stable. And it added that the decline in August occurred amid a backdrop of growth for other indicators.

The July reading—at 134.5—fell 1.6% from July, seeing a decline for the third consecutive month. And compared to July 2020, it eked out a 0.5% gain.

The June reading—at 136.9—was off 0.2% compared to May. And it was also the second straight decrease, for a cumulative 0.6% going back to April, and also the fourth decrease over the last eight months. What’s more, BTS said that the current Freight TSI reading is above any level recorded over the course of the pandemic, going back to before April 2021 while remaining below its November 2019 level.

The May reading—at 137.7—eked out a 0.1% gain from April to May, heading up for the third straight month. On an annual basis, it rose 8.1%, essentially reversing the 8.9% decline, for the same period in 2020, and a 2.3%, for the same period, in 2019.

The February reading—at 132.2—decreased 3.6%, from January to February, down to its lowest level going back to September 2020, on the heels of five straight months of growth. And on an annual basis, the February Freight TSI was off 2.7%.

The January reading—at 136.1—was up 1.1% over December and down 0.2% compared to January 2020. The January reading is 3.8% below the all-time high of 141.5 recorded in August 2019 and 43.4% above the April 2009 low of 94.9.

The August reading—at 131.1—was off 1.3% compared to July and was down 7.4% compared to August 2020. This decline followed three months of increases and is 7.4% below the all-time high of 141.6 recorded in August 2019.

The United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that its Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) saw a slight increase in June, the most recent month for which data is available, rising 0.9%, to 128.3, from May’s 127.1.

This marks the second consecutive month of growth, with the February reading at 137.2, and it is up 0.1% annually. This is down from annual February spreads of 2.6% in February 2019 and 7.2% in 2018. And February was down 2.8% compared to the all-time high reading of 141.2, which was recorded during August 2019, and 44.6% higher than the low in April 2009, of 94.9.

December’s 0.9% decrease to 135.5 marks the second consecutive decline, marking its lowest level going back to 2015. On an annual basis, the December Freight TSI is down 0.8%. And for the fourth quarter the Freight TSI dipped 1%, marking the second straight quarterly decline, in addition to the largest decline going back to the fourth quarter of 2015, when it was down 2.2%

November’s 0.1% increase to 137.4 represents the second consecutive month of growth, with the Freight TSI falling 0.8% on an annual basis. And BTS noted that it is 2% below the all-time high level of 140.2 set in August 2019.