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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Truck Profile

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Truck Profile

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Financial 1960 1970 1980 1990 1994 1995 R1996 1997 R1998
Operating revenues, totala ($ millions)N N N 127,314f 155,713f 161,806f 172,743f 183,153f 197,490
Local trucking  N N N 31,397 40,903 43,830 46,589 49,972 55,553
Trucking, except local  N N N 74,465 89,369 91,675 97,586 103,847 109,351
Local trucking with storage  N N N 4,115 4,757 5,154 5,502 5,860 6,144
Courier services, except by air  N N N 17,337 20,684 21,147 23,066 23,474 26,442
Operating expenses, totala ($ millions)N N N 118,968 145,216 151,628 162,825 170,998 179,908
Local trucking  N N N 28,049 36,455 38,695 41,325 43,871 47,478
Trucking, except local  N N N 70,965 84,682 88,061 94,390 98,570 101,584
Local trucking with storage  N N N 3,885 4,543 4,817 5,121 5,439 5,638
Courier services, except by air  N N N 16,069 19,536 20,055 21,989 23,118 25,207
Truck highway-usertaxes ($ millions)                 
State  1,709g 3,429g 6,731g 12,691g 13,157g 13,844g U 15,750g 15,611g
Federal  1,121 2,203 3,157 6,665 10,679 11,273 U 12,260 13,086
Totalb 2,830 5,632 9,888 19,356 23,836 R25,117 U 28,010 28,697
Inventory                 
Number of truck registrations                 
 Single-unit truck  N 3,681,405h 4,373,784h 4,486,981h 4,906,385h 5,023,670i R5,266,029i 5,293,358i 5,734,925
 Combination truck  N 905,082 1,416,869 1,708,895 1,681,500 1,695,751 R1,746,586 1,789,968 1,997,345
Total 11,914,249m 4,586,487 5,790,653 6,195,876 6,587,885 6,719,421 7,012,615 7,083,326 7,732,270
Number of employees                 
 Trucking and courier services, except air  N 998,500j 1,182,000j 1,273,900j 1,384,200k 1,440,000k R1,482,000k R1,514,200k 1,568,800
 Truck drivers and deliverymen  1,477,000l 1,565,000l 1,931,000l 2,148,000l 2,321,000l 2,861,000l 2,542,000l R2,602,000I 2,601,000
 Number of trucking and courier establishmentsa   N 64,756m 69,796m 90,709m 108,971m 112,887m 116,861m 121,111m U
Performance                 
Vehicle-miles (millions)                 
 Rural highway                   
Rural interstate N 10,069n 25,111n 35,789n 40,034n 43,351i 45,721i R49,336i 49,896
Rural other arterial N 17,625 24,789 31,331 35,040 37,056 37,875 R39,193 39,724
Other rural roads N 11,550 18,876 22,572 25,791 25,624 R25,884 R26,169 25,522
All rural roads 84,508n 39,244 68,776 89,692 100,865 106,031 R109,480 R114,698 115,142
 Urban highwayc                    
Urban interstate N 5,634 13,135 22,163 25,045 25,639 26,256 R28,549 30,193
Other urban streets N 17,337 26,580 34,387 44,306 46,486 47,235 R48,230 51,045
All urban streets 42,896 22,971 39,715 56,550 69,351 72,125 73,491 R76,779 81,238
 Total rural and urban highway  127,405 62,215 108,491 146,242 170,216 178,156 R182,971 R191,477 196,380
Passenger-milese(millions)                 
 Single-unit truckd   98,551 27,081 39,813 51,901 61,284 62,705 R64,072 R66,893 68,021
 Combination truck  28,854 35,134 68,678 94,341 108,932 115,451 R118,899 R124,584 128,359
 All trucks  127,405 62,215 108,491 146,242 170,216 178,156 R182,971 R191,477 195,380
Ton-miles, intercity (millions) 285,000o 412,000o 555,000o 735,000o 908,000o 921,000o 972,000o R996,000o 1,027,000
Fuel consumed (million gallons)                 
 Single-unit truck  N 3,968h 6,923h 8,357h 9,032h 9,216i R9,409i R9,576i 6,817i
 Combination truck  N 7,348 13,037 16,133 18,653 19,777 R20,192 R20,302 25,158
 All trucks  15,882h 11,316 19,960 24,490 27,685 28,993 R29,601 R29,878 31,975
Average fuel consumption per vehicle (gallons)                 
 Single-unit truck  N 1,078 1,583 1,862 1,841 1,835 R1,787 R1,809 1,189
 Combination truck  N 8,119 9,201 9,441 11,093 11,663 R11,561 R11,342 12,596
 All trucks  1,333 2,467 3,447 3,953 4,202 4,315 R4,221 R4,218 4,135
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
 Combination truck  N 4.8 5.3 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.9 6.1 5.1
 All trucks  8.0 5.5 5.4 6.0 6.1 R6.1 6.2 6.4 6.1
Average miles traveled per vehicle                 
 Single-unit truck  N 7,356 9,103 11,567 12,491 12,482 R12167 R12,637 11,861
 Combination truck  N 38,819 48,472 55,206 64,783 68,083 R68075 R69,601 64,265
 All trucks  10,693 13,565 18,736 23,603 25,838 26,514 R26,092 R27,032 25,397
Average length of haul(domestic freight) (miles) 272p 263p 363p 391p 392p 416p R426p 435 444
Safety                 
Occupant fatalities                 
 Light truck  N N 7,486q 8,601q 8,904q 9,568q 9,932q R10,249q 10,705
 Large truck  N N 1,262 705 670 648 621 R723 742
 All trucks  N N 8,748 9,306 9,574 10,216 10,553 R10,972 11,447
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
Large truck N N 1.2 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4
All trucks N N 2.2 1.3 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
Large truck N N 2.2 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.0
All trucks N N 2.4 1.7 R1.4 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 R2.3 2.2
Large truck N N 5.0 3.3 2.7 2.5 2.6 R2.6 2.5
All trucks N N 4.5 2.9 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.3
 Per 10,000 registered vehicles                   
Light truck N N 4.2 3.1 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8
Large truck N N 9.3 7.7 7.0 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.4
All trucks N N 5.0 3.6 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.1

KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are not available. 
aLocal 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 andstorage 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). 
bNumbers may not equal totals due to rounding.
cUrban consists of travel on all roads and streets in urban places of 5,000 or greater population.
dIncludes other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle in 1960.
eHighway 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.
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.
fU.S. Census Bureau, Transportation Annual Survey (Washington, DC : December 1998), table 1. 
gAmerican Trucking Association, American Trucking Trends (Washington, DC: Annual issues).
hU.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A.
iIbid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.
jU.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, Hours and Earnings, United States, 1909-1994 (Washington, DC: September 1994), SIC 421.
kIbid., Internet site www.bls.gov, as of Apr. 19, 1999.
lEno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 1998 (Washington, DC: 1998), p. 61.
mU.S. Bureau of the Census, County Business Patterns (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table 1b (SIC 421).
nU.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201.
oEno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 1998 (Washington, DC: 1998), p. 44.
pIbid., p. 71.
qU.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts 1999, DOT HS 808 983 (Washington, DC: October 1999), tables 3, 8, and 9.