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Figure 2-1. Highway Vehicle-Miles Traveled: 1980 to 2004 (Index, 1980 = 1.0)

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 or so, 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.

See paragraph above and table below for explanation of Figure 2-1

Data represented in the figure
Table in Excel format

empty Cell 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Highway, total1,527,2951,555,3081,595,0101,652,7881,720,2691,774,8261,834,8721,921,2042,025,9622,096,4872,144,3622,172,0502,247,1512,296,3782,357,5882,422,6962,485,8482,561,6952,631,5222,691,0562,746,9252,797,2872,855,508 (R) 2,890,450 2,962,513
Truck, single-unit 2-axle 6 tire or more39,81339,56840,65842,54644,41945,44145,63748,02249,43450,87051,90152,89853,87456,77261,28462,70564,07266,89368,02170,30470,50072,44875,866 (R) 77,757 81,107
Truck, combination68,67869,13470,76573,58677,37778,06381,03885,49588,55191,87994,34196,64599,510103,116108,932115,451118,899124,584128,359132,384135,020136,584138,737 (R) 140,160 145,398
empty Cell
Highway, total1.001.021.041.081.131.161.201.261.331.371.401.421.471.501.541.591.631.681.721.761.801.831.87 (R) 1.89 1.94
Truck, single-unit 2-axle 6 tire or more1.000.991.021.071.121.141.151.211.241.281.301.331.351.431.541.571.611.681.711.771.771.821.91 (R) 1.95 2.04
Truck, combination1.001.011.031.071.131.141.181.241.291.341.371.411.451.501.591.681.731.811.871.931.971.992.02 (R) 2.04 2.12

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table VM-1, available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/hss/index.htm as of Jan. 20, 2006.

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