Fact #368: April 18, 2005
Truck Fuel Types
Over 95% of light trucks (class 1 and 2) in 2002 were gasoline fueled and over 90% of heavy trucks (class 7 and 8) were diesel fueled, according to the 2002 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey. Diesel-fueled vehicles are more prevalent now than in the past. In 2002, 55% of medium trucks (class 3–6) were fueled by diesel, while the 1977 survey showed only 3% of medium trucks used diesel (second graph below). Diesel heavy trucks accounted for only 60% of the heavy truck population in 1977.
Note: Truck weight based on manufacturer's gross vehicle weight (GVW) rating
Light trucks (class 1 and 2): < 10,000 lb GVW
Medium trucks (class 3–6): 10,001–26,000 lb GVW
Heavy trucks (class 7 and 8): > 26,000 lb GVW
Supporting Information
| Truck Size | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel Type | Light (class 1 and 2) |
Medium (class 3–6) |
Heavy (class 7 and 8) |
Total |
| Gasoline | 96.0% | 43.1% | 6.5% | 91.9% |
| Diesel | 3.2% | 55.3% | 93.3% | 7.4% |
| Other | 0.7% | 1.5% | 0.1% | 0.7% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
|
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, "2002 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey," Microdata file, January 2005. Data generated by Stacy Davis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, March 2005. | ||||
| Truck Size | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel Type | Light (class 1 and 2) |
Medium (class 3–6) |
Heavy (class 7 and 8) |
Total |
| Gasoline | 99.7% | 96.2% | 38.6% | 95.6% |
| Diesel | 0.1% | 2.8% | 61.0% | 4.0% |
| Other | 0.3% | 1.0% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
|
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, "1977 Truck Inventory and Use Survey," Microdata file, 1979. Data generated by Stacy Davis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, March 2005. | ||||
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