Diesel purchases create new economic index Trucking is recognized as a useful indicator of the overall economy, and a new monthly index called the PCI has been developed to take advantage of that fact. PCI stands for Pulse of Commerce Index. It’s been created by Ceridian (parent company of Comdata), the UCLA Anderson School of Management and Charles River Associates. PCI measures diesel fuel sales at 7,000 locations as a proxy for goods being trucked throughout the country. Since measuring consumer confidence is somewhat mysterious, PCI’s creators believe this index offers Wall Street and economists a more tangible measurement. Trucks transport nearly 69 percent of the tonnage in domestic freight transportation.               return