Freight Index Down for March, Full Quarter, But Up From Year Ago
The amount of freight carried by for-hire transporters fell 0.8% in March from February, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) Freight Transportation Services Index. The March level was 16% above the April 2009 low, but the index of 109.4 was below December 2011’s 113.7.
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Freight shipments in March 2012 (109.4) were at the fourth-highest level since July 2008. But they were down 1.2% since March 2007, and up 10.9% since March 2002. The March 2012 figures were 0.8 above March 2011. Overall, the index fell 3.8 percent in the first quarter, and only the second fall in the last 11 quarters.