Analysis of Vehicle Inventory Trends by Public and Private Sectors

Vehicle Inventory Data (VID), representing counts of registered vehicles, is accessible through entities like the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, and private data providers.

These data sources are categorized into government agencies such as FHWA and private companies like IHS and Hedges. Current figures show approximately 183 million lightweight vehicles with short wheelbases. Additionally, there are about 50.5 million long-wheelbase light vehicles, with roughly 8.2 million two-axle vehicles with six or more tires. The active bus fleet includes around 750,000 units, while motorcycles total approximately 9.5 million. The data reflects vehicle registrations nationwide, which have generally increased over the past five decades, despite a slowdown during the 1990-91 economic downturn.

The overall vehicle count has expanded significantly since the early 2000s, reaching over 11 million new registrations in recent years. Peak growth occurred between 1998 and 2001, with approximately 8.5 million new vehicles added during that period. Data collection methods differ between government and private sources; government registries use forms like FHWA-561 tied to specific fiscal years, but may overlook unregistered or in-transit vehicles. Vehicle classification rules have evolved over time, influencing data accuracy. Registrations are recorded monthly, but discrepancies can occur due to double counting or exclusions.