The Changing Composition of U.S. Vehicle Miles Traveled: Evidence From VIUS, NHTS, and FHWA Highway Statistics

Details

• Creators:
  Yu, Fan ; Ocana, Miguel G. Rodriguez ; Batur, Irfan ; Polzin, Steven E. ; Pendyala, Ram M. ; Roy, Sneha
• Corporate Creators:
  Arizona State University. School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
• Corporate Contributors:
  National Center for Understanding Future Travel Behavior and Demand (TBD) ; United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program ; United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Commercial Vehicles Data Analysis Households Inventory Control Statistical Trends Travel Patterns Vehicle Fleets Vehicle Inventory And Use Survey (VIUS) Vehicle Miles Of Travel Vehicle Operations VMT Composition Trends

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• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Report: 2023-2025
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program
• Abstract:
  This project explores how the composition of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) shifted over the past two decades in the United States. The analysis integrates the Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) and the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) to trace changes across household and non-household-related travel domains. Evidence shows that household VMT has declined while commercial activity has grown steadily over the last two decades. Household total VMT estimated from NHTS declined from 2.27 trillion miles in 2001 to 1.85 trillion miles in 2022. Over the same period, VIUS shows that between 2002 and 2021 vehicles with any reported business use increased by more than 6 million, pushing associated total VMT from 4.23 trillion to 5.38 trillion miles. These findings indicate a structural shift in the United States roadway demand. Household driving has contracted both in absolute terms and as a share of national travel, while commercial fleets have expanded and now account for a larger proportion of vehicle activity, though the increase in truck-related VMT has not fully offset the reduction in household mileage. Part of this shift likely reflects the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily suppressed personal travel and may have accelerated freight and service activity, as the VIUS and NHTS data analyzed here are from 2021 and 2022. While upcoming data, such as the next NHTS, will help clarify these patterns, current evidence points to a lasting rebalancing between household and commercial travel.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  69A3552344815 ; 69A3552348320
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ce58c583f20725beba58959f9c270a923b1cdca50a102b1e46754fa735b489aac9644b51ec960bdf038f96db9e057d0bbf5c5ddfbe1051ac52dd00929b95cadd
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/91941/dot_91941_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1014.12 KB ]