Why You Should Care
Starting February 23 and concluding in October 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation is launching a research effort to help gain a better understanding of the features and purposes of commercial vehicles traveling on U.S. roadways.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) is relaunching the Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey, or VIUS, to collect real-world data on commercial vehicle use that USDOT and state transportation agencies can use to help plan projects that benefit trucking and logistics. From 1963 to 2002, the survey (then called the Truck Inventory and Use Survey), was conducted every five years but was discontinued in 2002 for reasons long forgotten.
What IS important and why you should care is that you may be among the 150,000 owners of Class 1 – 8 vehicles who receive the initial letter from BTS and the U.S. Census Bureau requiring you to participate. While you are required to respond to the survey, we urge you to view this not as a burden but as a chance to contribute actual vehicle use data that can directly benefit truck operators in years to come.
The confidential survey includes questions on types of goods being transported, frequency of maintenance intervals, miles traveled and fuel economy by vehicle weight, type, and configuration. Sample questions include: “Was [your] vehicle new when you took physical possession of it?” and “What type of transmission did this vehicle have?”
For the first time ever, the survey also will ask for input on parking-assist technologies among other technology questions. For complete information on the VIUS research, log on to https://www.bts.gov/bts/vius.
Every year, TAT (formerly called Truckers Against Trafficking) honors a member of the trucking, bus or energy industry, whose direct actions help save or improve the lives of those exploited or prevent human trafficking from taking place, with the Harriet Tubman Award
Bob Costello has indicated that the freight market has improved – but very slowly – since January. It must be said that ATA’s indices are dominated by contract freight as opposed to spot rates.
Now, however, with Republican control of both houses of Congress and the White House (and, some say, the Supreme Court) I am optimistic that trucking will get a fairer shake than it has during Biden’s term in office.