2009 Canadian Vehicle Survey Summary Report

ANNEX D

Glossary

Fuel consumption rate
The fuel consumption rate is the amount of fuel (in litres) used by a vehicle to travel 100 kilometres. This rate is expressed in L/100 km and can be calculated based on actual road conditions or in the laboratory.
Fuel type
The fuel type is based on the information provided by the respondent or from the registration lists. All vehicles are divided into three classes vehicles powered by gasoline, by diesel and by other energy sources (e.g. natural gas, liquid petroleum gas and propane).
Heavy trucks
In the Canadian Vehicle Survey (CVS), the heavy truck category includes all heavy vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 15 tonnes or more.
In-scope vehicles
In-scope vehicles includes all motor vehicles — except buses, motorcycles, off-road vehicles (e.g. snowmobiles, dune buggies and amphibious vehicles) and special equipment (e.g. cranes, street cleaners and backhoes) — registered in Canada during the survey reference period that have not been scrapped or salvaged. For more details, visit www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=53-223-X.
Light trucks
In the CVS, light trucks is a subcategory of light vehicles and includes pickup trucks, vans and sports utility vehicles.
Light vehicles
In the CVS, the light vehicle category includes all vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of less than 4.5 tonnes.
Medium trucks
In the CVS, the medium truck category includes all heavy vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 4.5 tonnes or more but less than 15 tonnes.
Number of in-scope vehicles in the CVS
The number of in-scope vehicles is an estimate of the average number of vehicles registered during the quarter based on the registration lists from jurisdictions and survey responses. This estimate may differ slightly from the number of vehicles on the registration lists because it includes all survey findings. The number of in-scope vehicles includes vehicles used on the roads and those not used during the reference period.
Occupancy rate
The occupancy rate is the number of people, including the driver and passenger(s), in a vehicle. Occupancy rates are generally calculated as passenger-kilometres divided by vehicle-kilometres.
Passenger-kilometres
Passenger-kilometres (PKM) are the sum of the distances travelled by individual passengers, the driver being considered to be one of the passengers (e.g. total PKM for a specific vehicle would be the sum of the distances travelled by individual passengers in that vehicle).

For light vehicles, respondents must report the number of passengers for each trip. For heavy vehicles, the number of passengers is calculated as the average of the number of passengers at the beginning of each trip and the number of passengers at the end of each trip. PKM can also be abbreviated PKT for passenger-kilometres travelled.

Renewable fuels
Renewable fuels are fuels produced by renewable resources. They include alternative energy sources, such as biodiesel and ethanol.
Straight truck
A straight truck is a complete unit, comprising a power unit and a box that cannot be detached.
Tractor
The tractor is the front part of a tractor-trailer combination and can be accompanied by one or more detachable trailers. A road tractor is designed to pull a trailer containing freight. If a truck comes apart, the road tractor is the front end (the cab and the power unit).
Vehicle-kilometres
Vehicle-kilometres (VKM) are the distance travelled by vehicles on roads (e.g. total VKM for a specific vehicle would be the distance travelled by that vehicle on the road). VKM can also be abbreviated VKT for vehicle-kilometres travelled.
Vehicle type
Vehicle type is the weight classification created for the CVS and is based on the information available on the vehicle registration lists. The vehicles are divided into three weight types light vehicles that have gross vehicle weights of less than 4.5 tonnes, medium vehicles that have gross vehicle weights between 4.5 and 15 tonnes, and heavy vehicles that have gross vehicle weights of 15 tonnes or more.