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Highway Trucks by Weight
The
number of trucks in the
United States
grew 41 percent between
1992 and 2002 and 15 percent between 1997 and 2002, according to the Vehicle
Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) conducted once every five years [1, 2]. The 85
million-truck fleet includes a variety of vehicles, ranging from large 18-wheel
combination trucks used to transport freight to small pickup trucks, often used
for personal travel.
Between
1992 and 2002, the number of light trucks and light-heavy trucks each grew 24
percent, while growth of heavy-heavy trucks declined 16 percent and medium
trucks grew 223 percent (figure 13-1).
The
growth in medium trucks was driven by increases in the number of trucks
weighing between 6,001 and 10,000 lbs (figure 13-2). While the number of these
trucks rose at a moderate pace between 1992 and 1997, their growth surged
between 1997 and 2002, from 5.3 million trucks to 17.1 million. Trucks in this
category include heavier pickups and heavier sport utility vehicles (SUVs) that
have been increasingly sold in recent years.1 These vehicles may be used for passenger travel, as well as to transport
freight. By 2002, medium trucks represented 22 percent of the total number of
trucks.
Light
trucks, which include SUVs, minivans, vans, and pickup trucks weighing less
than 6,000 pounds, represented 74 percent of the truck fleet in 2002, a smaller
percentage than in 1992 (84 percent of the truck fleet). Their declining share
reflects their weaker growth between 1997 and 2002 coupled with the large
increase in the number of medium trucks during the same period.
Among
trucks under 6,000 pounds, pickup trucks (38.0
million) barely outnumbered minivans and SUVs (36.4 million) in 2002. In 1992,
there were over twice as many pickup trucks as minivans and SUVs in the under
6,000 pound category. Over the 10-year period, the number of SUVs and minivans
in this category increased by 239 percent and 99 percent, respectively, much
faster than the growth rate for pickup trucks (13 percent) [1, 2].
Sources
1.
U.S.
Department of Commerce,
U.S.
Census Bureau, 1997 Economic Census: Vehicle
Inventory and Use Survey: United States (Washington, DC: 1999).
2. ______. 2002 Economic Census: Vehicle Inventory and Use
Survey:
United States (Washington, DC: 2004).
1 According to Wards Auto.Com (February 2005),
between 2000 and 2001, new truck registrations in the United States declined
1.5 percent for trucks 6,000 pounds and under and rose 5.4 percent for those
between 6,001 and 10,000 pounds.
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