Figure 2-1. Highway Vehicle-Miles of Traveled: 1980 to 2003

As the demand for goods and services grows, so does the amount of truck traffic on the nation's highways. Commercial truck travel has doubled over the past two decades, about the same as highway travel as a whole. Consequently, truck vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) as a share of all VMT has remained relatively stable. Over this period, travel by combination trucks grew slightly faster than by single unit trucks.

Data represented in the figure
Table in Excel format

	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Highway, total	1,527,295	1,555,308	1,595,010	1,652,788	1,720,269	1,774,826	1,834,872	1,921,204	2,025,962	2,096,487	2,144,362	2,172,050	2,247,151	2,296,378	2,357,588	2,422,696	2,485,848	2,561,695	2,631,522	2,691,056	2,746,925	2,797,287	2,855,508	2,890,893
Truck, single-unit 2-axle 6 tire or more	39,813	39,568	40,658	42,546	44,419	45,441	45,637	48,022	49,434	50,870	51,901	52,898	53,874	56,772	61,284	62,705	64,072	66,893	68,021	70,304	70,500	72,448	75,866	77,562
Truck, combination	68,678	69,134	70,765	73,586	77,377	78,063	81,038	85,495	88,551	91,879	94,341	96,645	99,510	103,116	108,932	115,451	118,899	124,584	128,359	132,384	135,020	136,584	138,737	138,322
Highway, total	1.00	1.02	1.04	1.08	1.13	1.16	1.20	1.26	1.33	1.37	1.40	1.42	1.47	1.50	1.54	1.59	1.63	1.68	1.72	1.76	1.80	1.83	1.87	1.89
Truck, single-unit 2-axle 6 tire or more	1.00	0.99	1.02	1.07	1.12	1.14	1.15	1.21	1.24	1.28	1.30	1.33	1.35	1.43	1.54	1.57	1.61	1.68	1.71	1.77	1.77	1.82	1.91	1.95
Truck, combination	1.00	1.01	1.03	1.07	1.13	1.14	1.18	1.24	1.29	1.34	1.37	1.41	1.45	1.50	1.59	1.68	1.73	1.81	1.87	1.93	1.97	1.99	2.02	2.01

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues).

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