Analysis of the Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey for Trucks ... - About

5.0 Analysis of the 5-Axles or More Truck Fleet
by Principal Product Carried
On the survey, all trucks defined the percent of their annual mileage that they hauled each of the
29 listed commodities or no load (1997 VIUS Survey, Question 28). The percent of vehicles
miles of travel (VMT) hauling the various 29 commodities and the percent of VMT hauling no
load totaled to 100%. Based on the respondent’s reply to this question, the Bureau of the Census
created a new variable which would indicate the principal product hauled MOST OFTEN by a
given truck. This chapter analyzes the “principal product” and ignores the other products the
respondent selects. Chapter 6 analyzes the percent of VMT hauling a commodity and this data is
used to make general conclusions about the commodities/products that are hauled most
frequently.
5.1 Analysis Structure
This analysis focuses on the principal product hauled by various vehicles in the national fleet.
Principal product was evaluated across the various vehicle groups and across the different traffic
regions.
# 30 principal products (Derived variable created by the Bureau of the Census)
- no load — vehicle empty
- live animals
- farm products (fresh)
- processed foods and tobacco products
- animal feed
- mining products
- building materials (gravel, sand, concrete, flat glass, etc.—except cut lumber)
- logs and other forest products
- lumber and fabricated wood products—except furniture
- paper and paper products
- chemicals and/or drugs (including fertilizers, pesticides, cosmetics, paints, etc.)
- petroleum and petroleum products (including paving and roofing materials)
- plastics and/or and rubber products
- primary metal products—pipes, ingots, billets, sheets, etc.
- fabricated metal products—except machinery or transportation equipment
- machinery—electrical or non-electrical and electronic
- transportation equipment (including complete vehicles) and parts
- furniture (wood and non-wood) and/or hardware—not involved in household moving
- glass products
- textiles and apparels—fibers, leather goods, carpets, clothing, etc.
- miscellaneous products of manufacturing
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