Commercial Vehicles

The trucking industry moves goods throughout the country providing an essential service to the economy.  In terms of value and weight, most commercial freight is moved by trucks.  Approximately 71% of goods by value and 69% of goods by weight are carried by truck in the United States (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, September, 2009).  This mode is critical for the efficiency and effectiveness of the freight transportation system, which is crucial for the economic vitality in California and the nation.  Trucking provides flexible, reliable, and economical service.

There are many factors that challenge commercial trucking such as traffic congestion, traffic accidents, weather, operating rules and regulations, scarcity of truck parking spaces, shortage of available drivers, road restrictions, and lack of intermodal connectors to ports and intermodal terminals.  Increased competition in the trucking industry, rising fuel costs, and just-in-time delivery have forced the industry to be more efficient and responsive to their customer needs.

Trucking Fact Sheet

• Fast Freight Facts

Trucking Industry Trade Groups

• American Trucking Association (ATA)
• California Trucking Association
• Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA)

Contact

The Caltrans Division of Traffic Operations, Office of Truck Services provides information on various aspects of commercial vehicle operations on the State Highway System, including permits, truck size and weight standards, truck routes, roadside rest areas, and weigh stations.  

In this Division, the Office of Performance Measurement (http://traffic-counts.dot.ca.gov/) provides historical information on truck and traffic volumes on all California State Highways. Traffic counts are summarized annually in three publications: Traffic Volumes, Truck Traffic, and Ramp Volumes. Traffic Counts are averaged over a 365-day period and represented as Averaged Annual Daily Traffic (AADT).

Vehicle classification systems exist for all types of vehicles, including trucks.  Here are three classification systems:

• FHWA vehicle classes with definitions
• FHWA classification (CA version) with photos
• Caltrans Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) classification system

State Truck Routes are shown by Caltrans district on the Office’s California Truck Network Map.

Information on the Air Resources Board's (ARB) truck-related regulations is available at this link:

• Environmental Regulation of Trucks

Port Truck Clean Air Plans and Truck Management Programs

• Port of Long Beach Clean Truck Program
• Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program
• Port of Long Beach / Port of Los Angeles PierPASS
• Port of Oakland Comprehensive Truck Management Program

Drayage Trucks Resources

• Air Resource Board (ARB) Drayage Truck Regulatory Activity
• ARB Registration for Drayage Trucks
• ARB’s Drayage Truck Registry Fact Sheet
• Requirements for Diesel Truck and Equipment Owners