U.S. DOT offering transportation services index

Railway Age, March, 2004

The first Transportation Services Index will be released this month, gauging the economy's performance as reflected in the movement of freight and passengers by land, water, and air. The U.S. Department of Transportation's new monthly index is a measure of the physical volume of services performed by the for-hire transportation sector, including freight (rail, trucking and parcel, inland waterway, pipeline, and air freight services) and passenger (local transit, intercity passenger rail, and air passenger transportation) carriers.

According to the DOT, the transportation sector accounts for 11% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and employs more than 11 million Americans. At the NYSE, there are 39 transportation companies listed that together represent a current market value of more than $181 billion.