EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EDT, OCTOBER 9, 1998 Public Information Office CB98-191 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) Kimberly Moore Service Sector Statistics Division 301-457-2797 Maine Truck Use in High Gear as Sport Utility Vehicles Take Off, Census Bureau Finds in First of Series of State Reports Maine joined the national shift toward sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with a 75 percent increase in SUV registrations between 1992 and 1997, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau reported today. The report, which is a component of the 1997 Economic Census, is the first in a series for each state and the District of Columbia that will be issued on a flow basis in the next year. There were 71,000 SUVs registered in Maine in 1997, up from 40,000 in 1992. Meanwhile, the number of minivans increased 50 percent and the number of pickup trucks increased 5 percent during the same period. The survey includes these highlights for Maine: - Total truck registrations in 1997 included 55 percent pickups, 19 percent SUVs and 12 percent minivans. - Maine has about one truck for every three people, and one SUV for every 18 people. - The percentage of trucks carrying hazardous materials was 0.5 percent in 1997. - About 72 percent of all trucks were used for personal transportation, while 27 percent were operated for business, including for-hire use. The report also includes information on fuel efficiency, annual and lifetime mileage, model year, equipment accessories and other data for each kind of registered truck. The U.S. Summary will be issued in late 1999, following the release of reports for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey is conducted every five years as part of the Economic Census and data are used by government agencies, business, industry, academia and the general public. The estimates from the 1997 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. Sources of nonsampling error include errors of response, non-reporting and coverage. Measures of sampling variability, presented as relative standard errors, are shown in the tables in the report. Editor's note: The embargoed report and tables can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/dcmd/www/embargo/embargo.html. Call the Public Information Office to obtain access information. After the release time, go to http://www.census.gov/prod/ec97/97tv-me.pdf.-X-The Census Bureau pre-eminent collector and provider of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. In more than 100 surveys annually and 20 censuses a decade, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America's people, businesses, industries and institutions.
