Most people don’t know much about The Freight Transportation Services Index which is usually abbreviated as TSI. It’s just a measure of the volume of services that are performed by the transportation sector. It includes both freight and passenger carriers. By tracking the information in the TSI, you can see a pattern that shows just how performance is in transportation service. By watching the way the TSI varies over time, analysts are able to understand economic changes that can affect the economy. They can also see those changes in the economy that affect the transportation industry.

1. You Can See Economic Growth

The TSI has three portions including the passenger sector, freight sector and combined sector. These three sectors are tracked individually and can increase and decrease independently of each other. The Department of Transportation has created a graph that shows the three sectors as they have changed from 2000 until the present. By mousing over the data point, you can see the exact numbers from each month. Clearly societal factors, such as the attacks of 9/11 and the economic upheaval beginning in 2007 are visible. [Read more…]