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The Transportation Services Index (TSI) climbed 0.3 percent to 110.1 in August — the index's first month-over-month gain since May.

The TSI also increased 0.7 percent compared with August 2006's level and posted a 0.2 percent gain through 2007's first eight months compared with the same 2006 period, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The TSI is a measure of month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by for-hire transportation industries.

In August, the Freight TSI reached 108.9, a 0.4 percent increase compared with July's level and only the index's second gain in the past five months. The index measures month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by for-hire rail, trucking, inland waterway, pipeline and air freight firms.

However, the Freight TSI remained unchanged from August 2006's level. Through the year's first eight months, the index inched up slightly — by less than 0.1 percent — compared with the same 2006 period.

August's Passenger TSI rose 0.2 percent to 115.1 compared with July's level — the index's second-straight monthly gain.

The Passenger TSI, which measures month-to-month changes in the output of services from for-hire passenger air, local transit and intercity passenger-rail providers, also increased 3.1 percent on a year-over-year basis. Through eight months, the index rose 0.8 percent compared with the same 2006 period.