June 2020 Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI)

The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI), which is based on the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry, rose 0.9% in June from May, rising for the second consecutive month, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS). From June 2019 to June 2020, the index fell 7.6% compared to a rise of 1.2% from June 2018 to June 2019 and a rise of 8.7% from June 2017 to June 2018 (Tables 1, 2, and 2A).

Transborder Tables May 2020

Figure 1: North American Freight by Mode, May 2020

May 2020 North American Transborder Freight Down 49% from May 2019

Transborder freight between the U.S. and other North American countries (Canada and Mexico) in May 2020:

Total Transborder freight: $56.1 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 48.9% compared to May 2019. The $56.1 billion in total Transborder freight was the lowest amount since May 2009.

• Most-used mode: Trucks moved $39.1 billion of freight, down 43.2% compared to May 2019.
• Second most-used mode: Railways moved $5.5 billion of freight, down 66.3% compared to May 2019.
• Transborder freight value in May was down 3.5% from April and down 43.3% from March.

Commodity Flow Survey 2017: Select Industries Shipped Almost 12.5B Tons, Up 10.4% from 2012

American manufacturers, wholesalers, and other selected industries shipped nearly 12.5 billion tons of goods in 2017, 10.4% more than in 2012, with a total value of more than $14.5 trillion, according to final estimates from the 2017 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) released today. The CFS covers about three-fourths of all U.S. freight movements, excluding imports, shipments from farms, crude oil production, and a few smaller categories.

On a typical day in 2017, establishments in these industries moved 34.2 million tons of goods, valued at $39.7 billion, and generated approximately 8.5 billion ton-miles on the nation's transportation network.

National Transportation Atlas Database Summer 2020 Update

Friday, July 10, 2020 - The Summer 2020 update to the National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD) was released today with eight updated datasets.

NTAD is a Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) compilation of geospatial datasets representing the nation’s transportation infrastructure, containing roadways, railways, waterways, and airports.

May 2020 TSi Tables

Figure 1: Freight Transportation Services Index, May 2015 - May 2020

May 2020 Freight Index (TSI) Up 1.6% in Largest One-Month Rise in Two Years

The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI), which is based on the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry, rose 1.6% in May from April, rising after a three-month decline, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS). From May 2019 to May 2020, the index fell 8.5% compared to a rise of 2.1% from May 2018 to May 2019 and a rise of 8.4% from May 2017 to May 2018 (Tables 1, 2, and 2A).

April 2020 North American Transborder Freight Numbers

Transborder freight between the U.S. and other North American countries (Canada and Mexico) in April 2020:

• Total Transborder freight: $58.1 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, down 44.4% compared to April 2019. The $58.1 in total Transborder freight was the lowest amount since May 2009.
• Most-used mode: Trucks moved $38.5 billion of freight, down 40.8% compared to April 2019.
• Second most-used mode: Railways moved $6.0 billion of freight, down 61.9% compared to April 2019.
• Transborder freight value in April was down 41.2% from March.