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In December, the Transportation Services Index (TSI) fell 0.2 percent to 127.3 compared with November — the first decline after three-straight monthly gains, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). However, the index rose 5.1 percent compared with December 2003.

The Freight TSI of 128.4 also decreased compared with November (0.4 percent), but increased compared with December 2003 (4.5 percent).

Meanwhile, December's Passenger TSI of 125.3 rose 0.1 percent compared with November, when the index fell slightly after five-consecutive monthly increases. The December TSI also represents a 6.6 percent hike compared with December 2003, BTS said.

During 2004's second half, the TSI and Freight TSI rose 1.4 percent, and Passenger TSI increased 1.5 percent compared with the year's first half.

The TSI is a measure of month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipelines and local transit. The index includes historic data from 1990 to the present; changes are measured against a base year of 1996.