The Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) is conducted by the Census Bureau in partnership with BTS to collect, on the physical and operational characteristics of the truck population in the United States. The latest iteration of VIUS was conducted in 2022 and asked respondents about the characteristics and operation of their vehicles in 2021. Respondents were owners of vehicles in the truck fleet, which comprises vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWRs) between classes 1–8 that were classified by their manufacturers as pickup trucks, straight trucks, truck tractors, minivans, light vans, or sport utility vehicles (SUVs). For the 2021 VIUS, a total of 150,000 vehicles were sampled, and almost 68,000 completed surveys were returned. Prior to 2021, the last VIUS was conducted in 2002.

The 2021 VIUS sample reflects the 179 million vehicles in the truck fleet in terms of characteristics such as fuel efficiency and how many miles those vehicles were driven. These data are a rich resource to inform decisions regarding investments in transportation infrastructure, vehicle technologies and parts, safety, energy consumption, and more. The following statistics from the 2021 VIUS were recently published in BTS’ Transportation Statistics Annual Report (TSAR) to Congress:

• Whether for personal or commercial use, 93.4 million sport utility vehicles (SUVs) traveled on average 10,700 miles in 2021, 53.8 million pickups averaged 9,500 miles, and minivans averaged 10,100 miles. The 2021 VIUS shows that 2.9 million truck tractors traveled on average 48,500 miles in 2021, and 1.6 million other heavy trucks averaged 14,000 miles each. Some key data points from both the 2002 and 2021 VIUS datasets include the following:
  • In 2021, the total number of trucks operated on U.S. roadways was 169.8 million, versus 85.1 million in 2002.
  • The annual number of miles driven by these trucks was 1.9 trillion miles, a 70 percent increase from 1.1 trillion miles in 2002.
  • Light-duty trucks, which have a GVWR of less than 10,000 pounds, had a fuel efficiency of 19.5 miles per gallon (MPG) in 2021, compared to 17.4 MPG in 2002. In 2021, the average annual VMT [vehicle miles traveled] was 9,800 per truck, versus 12,200 in 2002.
  • Heavy-duty trucks, which have a GVWR heavier than 26,000 pounds, had a fuel efficiency of 6.34 MPG in 2021, versus 6.23 MPG in 2002. In 2021, the average annual VMT for these trucks was 36,000 per truck, versus 41,000 in 2002.

The purpose of this summary statistics report is to provide a digestible overview of the 179 million vehicles represented in the 2021 VIUS Public Use File (PUF).