Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey underway

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics is officially launching the 2021 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey data collection period.

About 150,000 randomly selected vehicle owners will report on vehicle use in 2021 through an online collection portal. The survey will focus on heavy trucks and tractor-trailers and will also include pickup trucks, vans, minivans and SUVs.

It is the first Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey in 20 years.

The VIUS, which had been the principal data source on the physical and operational characteristics of the U.S. truck population from the 1960s until 2002, is returning with the goal of gaining an understanding of how trucks are being utilized for the transport of various goods statewide and nationally.

More information about the survey, including instructional videos, can be found here.

OOIDA encourages its members who are selected to participate in the survey.

As in past editions, the Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey will cover vehicles from all sectors of the economy and from households. It is sponsored by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau will collect VIUS data covering such variables as:

• Miles traveled and fuel economy by weight, type, configuration and age of vehicle.
• Axle configurations, trailers hauled, and operating weight.
• Equipment added after the manufacture of the chassis.
• Business versus personal use and types of economic activity served.
• Commodities carried.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics said the survey could be beneficial to the trucking industry because:

• Data is widely used and valued to support trucking research.
• Current data on the U.S. truck population will allow for better infrastructure and policy decisions.
• The data has the potential to provide greater insight into the truck parking crisis.
• Statewide data also will be published, allowing for better decisions on a local level. LL