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BTS Home > Publications > National Transportation Statistics > 2001

Truck Profile

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Financial	1960	1970	1980	1990	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Operating revenues, total^a,g (based on SIC) ($ millions)	N	N	N	127,314	155,713	161,806	172,743	183,153	N	N
Local trucking	N	N	N	31,397	40,903	43,830	46,589	49,972	N	N
Trucking, except local	N	N	N	74,465	89,369	91,675	97,586	103,847	N	N
Local trucking with storage	N	N	N	4,115	4,757	5,154	5,502	5,860	N	N
Courier services, except by air	N	N	N	17,337	20,684	21,147	23,066	23,474	N	N
Operating expenses, total^a (based on SIC) ($ millions)	N	N	N	118,968	145,216	151,628	162,825	170,998	N	N
Local trucking	N	N	N	28,049	36,455	38,695	41,325	43,871	N	N
Trucking, except local	N	N	N	70,965	84,682	88,061	94,390	98,570	N	N
Local trucking with storage	N	N	N	3,885	4,543	4,817	5,121	5,439	N	N
Courier services, except by air	N	N	N	16,069	19,536	20,055	21,989	23,118	N	N
Operating revenues, total^f,h (based on NAICS) ($ millions)	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	195,706	209,438
Truck transportation	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	150,816	162,083
Couriers messengers	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	44,890	47,355
Truck highway-user taxes ($ millions)
Stateⁱ	1,709	3,429	6,731	12,691	13,157	13,844	U	15,750	15,611	16,266
Federal	1,121	2,203	3,157	6,665	10,679	11,273	U	12,260	13,086	14,236
Total^b	2,830	5,632	9,888	19,356	23,836	^R25,117	U	28,010	28,697	30,502

Inventory	1960	1970	1980	1990	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Number of truck registrations
Single-unit truck	N	^j3,681,405	^j4,373,784	^j4,486,981	^j4,906,385	^k5,023,670	^k5,266,029	^k5,293,358	^k5,734,925	^k5,762,864
Combination truck	N	905,082	1,416,869	1,708,895	1,681,500	1,695,751	1,746,586	1,789,968	1,997,345	2,028,562
Total	^o11,914,249	905,082	1,416,869	1,708,895	1,681,500	1,695,751	7,012,615	1,789,968	1,997,345	7,791,426
Number of employees
Trucking and courier services, except air	N	^l998,500	^l1,182,000	^l1,273,900	^m1,384,200	^m1,440,000	^R,m1,482,100	^m1,514,200	^m1,568,800	^m1,613,700
Truck drivers and deliverymenⁿ	1,477,000	1,565,000	1,931,000	2,148,000	2,321,000	2,861,000	2,542,000	2,602,000	^R3,012,000	3,116,000
Number of trucking and courier establishments^a,o	N	64,756	69,796	90,709	108,971	112,887	116,861	121,111	U	U

Performance	1960	1970	1980	1990	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Vehicle-miles (millions)
Rural highway
Rural interstate	N	^p10,069	^p25,111	^p35,789	^p40,034	^k43,351	^k45,721	^k49,336	^k49,896	^k51,049
Rural other arterial	N	17,625	24,789	31,331	35,040	37,056	37,875	39,193	39,724	40,691
Other rural roads	N	11,550	18,876	22,572	25,791	25,624	25,884	26,169	25,522	26,201
All rural roads	^p84,508	29,175	43,665	53,903	60,831	62,680	109,480	114,698	115,142	117,941
Urban highway^c
Urban interstate	N	5,634	13,135	22,163	25,045	25,639	26,256	28,549	30,193	32,286
Other urban streets	N	17,337	26,580	34,387	44,306	46,486	47,235	48,230	51,045	52,461
All urban streets	42,896	22,971	39,715	56,550	69,351	72,125	73,491	76,779	81,238	84,747
Total rural and urban highway	127,405	52,146	83,380	110,453	130,182	134,805	182,971	191,477	196,380	202,688
Passenger-miles^e (millions)
Single-unit truck^d	98,551	27,081	39,813	51,901	61,284	62,705	64,072	66,893	68,021	70,304
Combination truck	28,854	35,134	68,678	94,341	108,932	115,451	118,899	124,584	128,359	132,384
All trucks	127,405	62,215	108,491	146,242	170,216	178,156	182,971	191,477	^R196,380	202,688
Ton-miles, intercity^q (millions)	285,000	412,000	555,000	735,000	908,000	921,000	972,000	996,000	1,027,000	1,093,000
Fuel consumed (million gallons)
Single-unit truck	N	^j3,968	^j6,923	^j8,357	^j9,032	^k9,216	^k9,409	^k9,576	^k6,817	^k9,372
Combination truck	N	7,348	13,037	16,133	18,653	19,777	20,192	20,302	25,158	24,537
All trucks	^j15,882	11,316	19,960	24,490	18,653	28,993	29,601	29,878	31,975	33,909
Average fuel consumption per vehicle (gallons)
Single-unit truck	N	1,078	1,583	1,862	1,841	1,835	1,787	1,809	1,189	1,626
Combination truck	N	8,119	9,201	9,441	11,093	11,663	11,561	11,342	12,596	12,096
All trucks	1,333	2,467	3,447	3,953	4,202	4,315	4,221	4,218	4,135	4,352
Average miles traveled per gallon of fuel consumed
Single-unit truck	N	6.8	5.8	6.2	6.8	6.8	6.8	7.0	10.0	7.5
Combination truck	N	4.8	5.3	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.9	6.1	5.1	5.4
All trucks	8.0	5.5	5.4	6.0	6.1	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.1	6.0
Average miles traveled per vehicle
Single-unit truck	N	7,356	9,103	11,567	12,491	12,482	^R12,167	^R12,637	11,861	12,199
Combination truck	N	38,819	48,472	55,206	64,783	68,083	^R68,075	^R69,601	64,265	65,260
All trucks	10,693	13,565	18,736	23,603	25,838	26,514	^R26,092	^R27,032	25,397	26,014
Average length of haul (domestic freight)^r (miles)	272	263	363	391	392	416	426	435	^R442	458

Safety	1960	1970	1980	1990	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Occupant fatalities
Light truck^s	N	N	7,486	8,601	8,904	9,568	9,932	10,249	10,705	11,265
Large truck	N	N	1,262	705	670	648	621	723	742	759
All trucks	N	N	8,748	9,306	9,574	10,216	10,553	10,972	11,447	12,024
Occupant fatality rate
Per 100 million vehicle-miles
Light truck	N	N	2.5	1.5	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.2	1.2	1.2
Large truck	N	N	1.2	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4
All trucks	N	N	2.2	1.3	1.1	1.1	1.1	1.1	1.1	1.1
Per 10,000 registered vehicles
Light truck	N	N	2.5	1.7	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5
Large truck	N	N	2.2	1.1	1.0	1.0	0.9	1.0	1.0	1.0
All trucks	N	N	2.4	1.7	1.4	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5
Vehicle involvement rate (fatal crashes)
Per 100 million vehicle-miles
Light truck	N	N	4.3	2.8	2.3	2.3	2.3	2.3	2.2	2.2
Large truck	N	N	5.0	3.3	2.7	2.5	2.6	2.6	2.5	2.4
All trucks	N	N	4.5	2.9	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.3	2.3	2.2
Per 10,000 registered vehicles
Light truck	N	N	4.2	3.1	2.7	2.8	2.8	2.8	2.8	2.7
Large truck	N	N	9.3	7.7	7.0	6.7	6.8	6.9	6.4	6.3
All trucks	N	N	5.0	3.6	3.2	3.2	3.2	^R3.2	^R3.2	3.1

KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are not available.

^a Local trucking (SIC 4212) - Establishments primarily engaged in furnishing trucking or transfer services without storage for freight generally weighing more than 100 pounds.

Trucking, except Local (SIC 4213) - Establishments primarily engaged in furnishing "over-the-road" trucking services or trucking services and storage services, including household goods either as common carriers or under special or individual contracts or agreements, for freight generally weighing more than 100 pounds.

Local trucking, without Storage (SIC 4214) - Establishments primarily engaged in furnishing both trucking and storage services, including household goods.

Courier Services, except by Air (SIC 4215) - Establishments primarily engaged in the delivery of individually addressed letters, parcels, and packages (generally under 100 pounds).

^b Numbers may not equal totals due to rounding.

^c Urban consists of travel on all roads and streets in urban places of 5,000 or greater population.

^d Includes other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle in 1960.

^e Highway passenger-miles are calculated by multiplying vehicle miles of travel as cited by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) by the average number of occupants for each vehicle type as estimated by the FHWA using the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey.

^f Truck transportation (NAICS 484) - Industries primarily engaged in over-the-road transportation of cargo using motor vehicles, truck-tractors, and trailers.

Couriers and messengers (NAICS 492) - Establishments primarily engaged in providing air, surface, or combined courier delivery services of parcels or primilarily engaged in furnishing local messenger and delivery services of small items within a single metropolitan area or urban center.

NOTE: In 1995, FHWA revised its vehicle type categories. These new categories include passenger car, other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle, single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more truck, and combination truck. Other 2-axle 4-tire vehicles include vans, pickup trucks, and sport/utility vehicles. In previous years, some minivans and sport/utility vehicles were included in the passenger car category. Single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more trucks are on a single frame with at least 2 axles and 6 tires.

SOURCES: Unless otherwise noted, refer to chapter tables for sources.

^g U.S. Census Bureau, Transportation Annual Survey (Washington, DC: December 1998), table 1.

^h Ibid., Service Annual Survey, 1999 (Washington, DC: July 2001), table 2.2.

ⁱ American Trucking Association, American Trucking Trends (Washington, DC: Annual issues).

^j U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A.

^k Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

^l U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, Hours and Earnings, United States, 1909-1994 (Washington, DC: September 1994), SIC 421.

^m Ibid., Internet site www.bls.gov as of Aug. 17, 2001. (Code: 414210).

ⁿ Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 2000 (Washington, DC: 2001), p. 35.

^o U.S. Bureau of the Census, County Business Patterns (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table 1b (SIC 421).

^p U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201.

^q Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 2000 (Washington, DC: 2001), p. 12.

^r Ibid., p. 51.

^s U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts 1999, DOT HS 809 100 (Washington, DC: December 2000), tables 3, 8, and 9.