BTS Indicators Report Shows Decrease In Sales of Cars and Trucks

Contact BTS 11-01 Catrina Pavlik 202-366-1500

Monday, June 4, 2001 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released its monthly Transportation Indicators report showing that sales of cars and trucks declined 10.5 percent from April 2000 to April 2001.

The ninth Transportation Indicators reports that the sales of medium and heavy trucks were down nearly 31 percent, light trucks dropped by 9 percent and cars fell 11 percent during the 12-month period.

The BTS report is a monthly update of critical transportation information that details the impact of transportation on the nation’s economy and society.

Dr. Ashish Sen, BTS Director, said, "The Transportation Indicators report is an easy-to-use source of information, containing data that relates to everyday life."

Transportation Indicators provides information on more than 90 trends in the areas of safety, mobility, economic growth, the human and natural environment, and national security. The monthly report, which is available at www.bts.gov, provides information to address specific transportation issues and to assist in the effort led by BTS to make transportation information more accurate, reliable, and timely. Updated reports will be available on the BTS website the fourth week of every month.

Other trends highlighted in this month’s report are:

• Highway vehicle miles of travel declined in February, reflecting a one-year drop of about one-half of 1 percent from February 2000.
• Food and farm products shipped on U.S. inland waterways rose in April but were still down nearly 14 percent from April 2000 to April 2001. Coal shipments were up 8 percent over the same period.
• Tonnage of waterborne exports and imports rose in January 2001 and was 16 percent higher than a year earlier.
• American households paid 5 percent more for gasoline in April 2001 than in March. This percentage increase was more than 10 times higher than the percentage increases for other transportation components in the consumer price index.
• Road construction costs in the first quarter of 2001 were 9 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2000.
• While total civilian employment fell in April, employment in transportation and related industries increased slightly.
• Employment in trucking and warehousing, air transportation, and public transit industries fell slightly in April.
• Corporate profits of for-hire transportation industries declined 17 percent in the fourth quarter 2000.
• Large air carriers’ return on assets in the fourth quarter of 2000 dipped into negative territory for the first time since early 1996.
• Train miles per employee hour—a measure of railroad labor productivity—rose in February, up 4 percent from February 2000.
• New orders for transportation equipment jumped 25 percent from February to March—the third largest percentage increase in 10 years.
• Private investment in transportation equipment rose slightly in the first quarter of 2001, but was still down almost 11 percent from the first quarter of 2000.
• Jet fuel prices for scheduled airlines dropped in March, but still remained 9 percent above their March 2000 levels.
• Transportation energy consumption fell slightly but remained more than 7 percent higher in January 2001 than in January 2000.
• Net petroleum imports rose slightly in March 2001 and were up 13 percent from March 2000.

Continual updating of information on trends will help in developing forecasts for the future, both within the department and outside. The monthly report will also help transportation decision-makers spot changes that might require rapid action.