VIUS FAQs
- What is the purpose of the Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS)?
- Will the scope and population of interest for the 2021 VIUS remain the same as the earlier surveys?
- What are some common uses of the VIUS data?
- Who uses the VIUS data?
- Who conducts the VIUS and how often is it conducted?
- What types of vehicles are included in the 2021 VIUS?
- What types of vehicles are not included in the 2021 VIUS?
- Will e-commerce vehicles be included in 2021 VIUS?
- Will for-hire and private-use vehicles be in captured in the 2021 VIUS?
- Will passenger vehicles be included in the 2021 VIUS?
- What NAICS industries will be covered in the 2021 VIUS?
- When will the 2021 VIUS data collection begin?
- When will the 2021 VIUS data be released?
- What is the sample size of the 2021 VIUS?
- What is the source of the sample data?
- What is considered a commercial truck?
- What is considered a personal vehicle/truck?
- How will the 2021 VIUS data be collected?
- Are there any new questions or content that will be collected that was not collected in previous VIUS surveys?
- Are there differences between the 2002 and 2021 sample design?
- What are some of the differences between the Public Use File (PUF) and the Title 13 (T13) dataset?
What is the purpose of the Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS)?
The primary purpose of the VIUS is to measure the physical and operational characteristics of the U.S. truck population, and to gain an understanding nationally and statewide on how trucks are being utilized for various goods transport.
Will the scope and population of interest for the 2021 VIUS remain the same as the earlier surveys?
Yes, much like the earlier VIUS surveys, the 2021 VIUS will still:
- Be a sample of personal and commercial trucks
- Provide data on physical and operational characteristics
- Exclude vehicles owned by federal, state, and local governments; ambulances; buses; motor homes; farm tractors; unpowered trailer units; and trucks reported to have been disposed of prior to January 1, 2021.
- Be planned to be conducted once every 5-years
- Intend to produce national and state-level estimates of the total number of trucks
What are some common uses of the VIUS data?
VIUS data is useful for a wide range of studies including: vehicle size and weight policy analyses, input to freight demand models and air quality models, investment and performance analysis, safety analysis, fuel efficiency analysis, forecasts on truck population and economic activity served, vehicle volume estimates, highway planning, planning for ports and intermodal center development, market analyses, assessment of technology penetration, and determining future fuel demands.
VIUS data are critical to Federal Agencies (particularly to the Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and Bureau of Economic Analysis), to state Departments of Transportation (DOT’s), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO’s), the trucking industry, truck manufacturers, manufacturers of aftermarket equipment, energy companies, and private consulting firms.
Who conducts the VIUS and how often is it conducted?
The US Census Bureau first conducted VIUS in 1963 and then every five years since then between 1967 and 2002. For the 2021 VIUS, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics has partnered with the US Census Bureau, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Department of Energy to conduct the VIUS once again.
Back to the top
What types of vehicles are included in the 2021 VIUS?
Commercial and personal vehicles registered in the U.S. that are classified by vehicle manufactures as trucks, minivans, or SUV’s, otherwise known as Class 1 through 8 trucks. This is same set of trucks that were surveyed in the 2002 VIUS.
The sampling frame includes:
- Pickups
- Vans, minivans, SUVs
- Straight trucks with GVW < 26,000 lbs.
- Straight trucks with GVW ≥ 26,000 lbs.
- Truck tractors
Pickups, vans, minivans, and SUVs will be provided the light vehicle questionnaire. Straight trucks and truck tractors will be provided the heavy vehicle questionnaire.
What types of vehicles are not included in the 2021 VIUS?
- Government-owned (federal, state, local) trucks
- Trucks not registered in the U.S.
- Vehicles that aren’t classified as trucks by vehicle manufacturers (e.g., automobiles, motorcycles)
- Vehicles that may be classified as trucks but are out of scope for this survey (e.g., buses, ambulances, fire trucks, farm tractors, motor homes)
- Trailers
- Vehicles with duplicate Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs)
Will e-commerce vehicles be included in 2021 VIUS?
Commercial trucks, including personal vehicles used for business, that move e-commerce will be included in the 2021 VIUS, but there are no specific questions on the 2021 VIUS that will measure the number of specific e-commerce trucks, what was carried, or their location.
Will for-hire and private-use vehicles be in captured in the 2021 VIUS?
Yes, vehicles used in for-hire transportation, vehicles used in other businesses, and private-use vehicles will be in scope for the 2021 VIUS sample. Additionally, there is a new question that pertains specifically to personal vehicles used in for-hire transportation.
Will passenger vehicles be included in the 2021 VIUS?
Yes, passenger vehicles, such as, SUVs, minivans, pickups, and light trucks will all be in scope for the 2021 VIUS sample.
What NAICS industries will be covered in the 2021 VIUS?
The VIUS is a sample of registered vehicles without regard for industry. The VIUS asks the respondent for the industry served by the sampled vehicle.
When will the 2021 VIUS data collection begin?
February 2022
When Will the 2021 VIUS data be released?
Fall 2023
What is the sample size of the 2021 VIUS?
Approximately 150,000 trucks
What is the source of the sample data?
R.L. Polk & Co. (a subsidiary of IHS Markit)
What is considered a commercial truck?
Trucks specifically engaged in commercial activities, which includes for-hire transportation and other businesses such as the delivery van operated by a florist.
What is considered a personal vehicle/truck?
Trucks used for personal activities with no intent for commercial use
How will the 2021 VIUS data be collected?
The 2021 VIUS will be the first VIUS to be conducted through an online questionnaire. No data will be collected through any other means, including Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs).
Are there any new questions or content that will be collected that was not collected in previous VIUS surveys?
Yes, given that it has been almost 20 years since the last VIUS, there has been significant change in the vehicle industry. Thus, there a number of new questions that have been added and old questions that have been modified. Below lists the topic areas and question types that have been added or modified for the 2021 VIUS.
- Acquisition –
- If an owner plans to replace existing vehicle with one of a different weight class or axle load
- Physical Characteristics—
- Number of rear axle tires
- Standard features
- Driver assistance features
- Fuel economy features
- Towing capacity
- Exterior height of vehicle cabin
- Number of gears
- Mileage—
- Calculation of annual mileage
- Calculation of miles-per-gallon
- Percent of time vehicle spent idling (stationary)
- Percent of time vehicle spent in auxiliary power
- Fuel and Maintenance—
- Electric power as a fuel type
- Cost of general maintenance
- Cost of extensive repairs
- Rebuilt or overhauled vehicle engine
- Year of rebuilt of overhauled engine
- Vehicle Configuration—
- Trailer add-on equipment
- Weight—
- Average payload in pounds
- Average weight of non-trailer cargo
- Miles operated with an overweight permit
- Annual overweight permits purchased
- Annual overweight permits for intrastate travel
- Number of trips requiring a single trip overweight permit
- Kind of Business—
- Commercial or business-related use
- Commercial use activities
- Percent of vehicle mileage by commercial use activity
- For-hire –
- Percent of vehicle mileage by type of trips
- Product, Equipment, or Materials –
- Percent of mileage driven to reposition the empty vehicle to a new location for the next load
- Approximate percent of annual mileage driver as a direct empty backhaul to home base
- Less efficient routes taken due to low height on bridges or tunnels
Are there differences between the 2002 and 2021 sample design?
There is no difference between the 2002 and 2021 VIUS truck strata. The strata remain the same: (1) Pickups, (2) minivans and other light vans and SUVS, (3) Light single-unit trucks under 26,000 lbs., (4) heavy single-unit trucks over 26,000 lbs., (5) truck-tractors
What are some of the differences between the Public Use File (PUF) and the Title 13 (T13) dataset?
While both the VIUS PUF and T13 dataset aim to provide vehicle-level details, they are different in structure, availability, and usability.
Structure
The two data sets are structured differently due to data protection. The PUF requires thorough disclosure avoidance procedures by the Census Bureau to remove any possibility of personal and business information disclosure. These data protections include data top coding, noise application, data swapping, rounding of weighting factors, and collapsed variable categories. The T13 data include vehicle-level information by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Below is a table that lists the maximum level of detail per dataset for a few variables.
| Variable | PUF Maximum Level of Detail | T13 Maximum Level of Detail |
| Registration Location | State | ZIP |
| Homebase Location |
Collapsed into four categories: 1. same as registration state; 2. outside of registration state; 3. no homebase; or 4. not reported |
ZIP (Note: this variable has not undergone validation or editing)
|
| Trailer Configuration |
Collapsed into two categories: 1. one; or 2. more than one trailer pulled |
Records contain the reported number of trailers pulled |
| Number of Axles | Collapsed the values for the number of axles greater than four into one category | Records contain the reported number of axles |
| Commercial Activity | Primary commercial activity only | Records contain percentage of vehicle mileage for all commercial activities indicated |
| Product Carried | Primary product carried only | Records contain percentage of loaded mileage for all products carried |
Availability
The VIUS PUF is available to all data users and can be downloaded here. The T13 datasets are not publicly available and require the researchers/data users to have Special Sworn Status (SSS) and gives them direct access to the data that was collected from the respondents. They are required to apply their own methodologies that would prevent disclosure for any estimates or data created and are held to the same laws and standards as those working at the US Census Bureau.
Usability
The PUF is for public use and can be used by anyone for any purpose. It is mainly a source of data for people to conduct analysis with and is a good resource for use in planning out and validating research ideas. The T13 dataset requires a project proposal to undergo the SSS approval process and is only accessible to those who have this status granted. Any research, estimates, or products produced from its use must also undergo disclosure avoidance procedures to prevent disclosure.
Recommended uses for VIUS PUF:
- High-level analyses
- Regulatory analyses
- Rapidly validating an idea for further research using T13 dataset
Recommended uses for VIUS T13 Dataset:
- Academic research
- Detailed modeling and analysis work