Light Trucks are Driven More than Cars, BTS Journal Reports

Contact BTS 09-01 Catrina Pavlik 202-366-1500

Thursday, May 24, 2001 -- The Journal of Transportation and Statistics (JTS), released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), reports that Americans have shifted toward a significantly higher use of minivans and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) for personal travel.

The same article in the JTS reports that light-duty trucks, including minivans and SUVs, are driven more miles per year than passenger cars. Additionally, pick-up trucks are more popular among households than they were 20 years ago.

"The Journal supports exchange of information on transportation statistics," said BTS Director Ashish Sen. "This issue, like the others before it, contains vital transportation information produced by a number of prominent transportation professionals. They advance our knowledge about America's transportation needs and help us plan for the future."

This edition (Vol. 3, Issue 3) includes:

• Regularities in Travel Demand: An International Perspective, by Andreas Schafer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• New and Existing Roadway Inventory Data Acquisition Methods, by Aemal J. Khattak of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Joseph E. Hummer of North Carolina State University, and Hassan A. Karimi of the University of Pittsburgh.
• Behavioral Distinctions: The Use of Light-Duty Trucks and Passenger Cars, by Kara Maria Kockelman and Yong Zhao of University of Texas at Austin.
• Efficiency Measures and Output Specification: The Case of European Railways, by Pedro Cantos, Jose M. Paster, and Lorenzo Serrano of Universidad de Valencia.
• Vehicle Speed Considerations in Traffic Management: Development of a New Speed Monitoring Program, by Darren L Jorgenson of Ernst and Young, Mathew G. Karlaftis of National Technical University of Athens, Kumares C. Sinha of Purdue University.
• Valuing Long-Haul and Metropolitan Freight Travel Time and Reliability by Marcus Wigan of Oxford Systematics, Nigel Rockliffe of Economic Outcomes, and Thorolf Thoresen and Dimitris Tsolakis of ARRB Transport Research.

To submit a research paper or to receive submission guidelines, send an e-mail to journal@bts.gov or write to the Managing Editor, JTS, at the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room 3430, 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., 20590, USA. The journal's editor-in-chief will arrange for a peer review through the editorial board.

One-year complimentary subscriptions to the Journal of Transportation Statistics, which is issued three times a year, can be obtained by visiting the BTS web page at www.bts.gov/jts, by calling 202-366-DATA, by faxing requests to 202-366-3640, or by writing to Product Orders at the address above.

For technical information contact David Banks at 202-366-0963.