Transportation Services Index slipped a bit in April

The Transportation Services Index (TSI) in April dipped to 113.7, falling 0.8 percent from March's level, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). However, the index rose 1.1 percent from April 2012's mark.

At 112.4, the Freight TSI in April decreased 1.2 percent from March's level but increased 1.2 percent from April 2012's mark.

A measure of the monthly output of for-hire rail, trucking, inland waterway, pipeline and air freight firms, the Freight TSI dropped due to declines in rail intermodal, water and pipeline shipments in April, BTS officials said in a press release.

"Waterborne freight reductions were partially due to floods and barge accidents that interfered with river operations, [while] trucking was stable on a seasonally adjusted basis," they said. "The stability in trucking, the decline in rail intermodal and the decline in the overall Freight TSI were consistent with a slight decline in manufacturing output, and a larger decline in housing that took place in April."

Meanwhile, the Passenger TSI in April reached 116.9, up 0.1 percent from March's level and 0.8 percent from April 2012's mark. The index measures month-to-month changes in travel involving for-hire intercity rail, air and local transit service providers.