Freight Transportation Services Index
The Freight Transportation Services Index measures the monthly output of the for-hire freight sector, combining trucking, rail, inland and coastal water, air cargo, and pipeline into one chain-weighted index (2000 = 100). Published by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, it is the authoritative government counterpart to the private Cass index.
Latest reading
As of March 2026, Freight TSI (Freight TSI YoY %) stands at 0.7% — down from 1.9% the prior reading. Freight output tends to peak before recessions and trough during them, so it works as a cycle read — focus on the year-over-year rate to strip out seasonality. Consistent multi-month declines flag weakening demand; compare against the Cass index and industrial production for confirmation. Note the data lands with a 6-8 week lag and excludes company-owned (private) fleets and most parcel delivery. Series history runs from 2000 to present.
Freight TSI YoY %
Next release: Jul 01, 2026
Full history
How to read it
Freight output tends to peak before recessions and trough during them, so it works as a cycle read — focus on the year-over-year rate to strip out seasonality. Consistent multi-month declines flag weakening demand; compare against the Cass index and industrial production for confirmation. Note the data lands with a 6-8 week lag and excludes company-owned (private) fleets and most parcel delivery.
Methodology & data
Freight TSI is sourced from BTS via the Federal Reserve's FRED service (BTS via FRED (TSIFRGHT), monthly, seasonally adjusted). We pull the complete history, chart it on a monthly basis, overlay SPY for context, and generate a dated plain-English reading from the latest release — with no smoothing or adjustment beyond what the chart legend states.
Every reading is stamped with its release date, last updated 2026-06-09. See our methodology for the standards every series on the site is held to.
- Category
- Growth
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Source
- BTS
Related indicators
Frequently asked questions
What is the Freight Transportation Services Index?
The Freight Transportation Services Index measures the monthly output of the for-hire freight sector, combining trucking, rail, inland and coastal water, air cargo, and pipeline into one chain-weighted index (2000 = 100). Published by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, it is the authoritative government counterpart to the private Cass index.
How do you read Freight TSI?
Freight output tends to peak before recessions and trough during them, so it works as a cycle read — focus on the year-over-year rate to strip out seasonality. Consistent multi-month declines flag weakening demand; compare against the Cass index and industrial production for confirmation. Note the data lands with a 6-8 week lag and excludes company-owned (private) fleets and most parcel delivery.
Where does the Freight TSI data come from?
BTS via FRED (TSIFRGHT), monthly, seasonally adjusted. We chart the full history and publish a dated, plain-English reading with every release; the raw series is downloadable as CSV at /data/indicators/freight-transportation.csv.
How often is Freight TSI updated?
Freight TSI is a monthly series from BTS, refreshed here as soon as a new release posts to FRED.