| Terms | Glossary |
|---|
| Bus Crossings | Number of arriving buses at a particular port, whether or not they are carrying passengers. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Census Division | Groupings of states that are subdivisions of the four census regions. There are nine divisions, which the Census Bureau adopted in 1910 for the presentation of data. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Census Region | Groupings of states that subdivide the United States for the presentation of data. There are four regions -- Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Each of the four regions is divided into two or more census divisions. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) | A CMSA is a metropolitan complex of I million or more population, containing two or more component parts designated as primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSAs). ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Container | A Container is defined as any conveyance entering the U.S. used for commercial purposes, either full or empty. Includes containers moving in-bond for the port initiating the bonded movements.
Types of Containers
The following are examples of a Container:
Stakebed truck, truck with a car carrier, van, pickup truck/car, flatbed truck, piggyback truck with two linked trailers/containers = 2 containers, straight truck, bobtail truck, railcar, rail flatbed car stacked with four containers = 4 containers
(on each rail car if there is multiple box containers count each container and the flatbed car.), and tri-level boxcar with multiple containers inside = 3 containers ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Destination | For travel period trips, the destination is the farthest point of travel from the point of origin of a trip of 75 miles or more one-way. For travel day trips, the destination is the point at which there is a break in travel. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Driver | A person who operates a motorized vehicle. If more than one person drives on a single trip, the person who drives the most miles is classified as the principal driver. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Education Level | The number of years of regular schooling completed in graded public, private, or parochial schools, or in colleges, universities, or professional schools, whether day school or night school. Regular schooling advances a person toward an elementary or high school diploma, or a college, university or professional school degree. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Employed | A person is considered employed if there is a definite arrangement for regular full-time or part-time work for pay every week or every month. A formal, definite arrangement with one or more employers to work a specified number of hours a week, or days a month, but on an irregular schedule during the work month is also considered employment. A person who is on call to work whenever there is a need for his (her) services is not considered employed. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) | Federal Information Processing Standards. Usually referring to a code assigned to any of a variety of geographic entities (e.g. counties, states, metropolitan areas, etc). FIPS codes are intended to simplify the collection, processing, and dissemination of data and resources of the Federal Government. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Household | A group of persons whose usual place of residence is a specific housing unit; these persons may or may not be related to each other. The total of all U.S. households represents the total civilian non-institutionalized population. Does not include group quarters (i.e., 10 or more persons living together, none of whom are related). ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Household Income | The money income of all family members in a household, including those temporarily absent. Annual income is asked for the 12 months preceding the interview. Includes income from all sources, such as wages and salary, commissions, tips, cash bonuses, income from a business or farm, pensions, dividends, interest, unemployment or work men's compensation, social security, veterans' payments, rent received from owned property (minus the operating costs), public assistance payments, regular gifts of money from friends or relatives not living in the household, alimony, child support, and other kinds of periodic money income other than earnings. Excludes in-kind income such as room and board, insurance payments, lump-sum inheritances, occasional gifts of money from persons not living in the same household, withdrawal of savings from banks, tax refunds, and the proceeds of the sale of one's house, car or other personal property. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Household Members | All people, whether present or temporarily absent, whose usual place of residence is in the sample unit. Includes people staying in the sample unit who have no other usual place of residence elsewhere. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Household Trip | One or more household members traveling together. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Household Vehicle | A motorized vehicle that is owned, leased, rented or company owned and available to be used regularly by household members during the travel period. Includes vehicles used solely for business purposes or business-owned vehicles if kept at home and used for the home to work trip, (e.g., taxicabs, police cars, etc.) which may be owned by, or assigned to, household members for their regular use. Includes all vehicles that were owned or available for use by members of the household during the travel period even though a vehicle may have been sold before the interview. Excludes vehicles that were not working and not expected to be working within 60 days, and vehicles that were purchased or received after the designated travel day. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Interstate Highway, Freeway, or Expressway | A divided arterial highway for through traffic with full or partial control of access and grade separations at major intersections. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Licensed Driver | Any person who holds a valid driver's license from any state. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Means of Transportation | A mode used for going from one place (origin) to another (destination). Includes private and public modes, as well as walking. For all travel day trips, each change of mode constitutes a separate trip. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) | An MSA is a county or group of contiguous counties that contains at least one city with a population of 50,000 or more or a Census Bureau-defined urbanized area of at least 50,000 with a metropolitan population of at least 100,000. In addition to the county or counties that contain all or part of the main city or urbanized area, an MSA may contain other counties that are metropolitan in character and are economically and socially integrated with the main city. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Motorized Vehicle | Includes all vehicles that are licensed for highway driving. Specifically excluded are snow mobiles, minibikes, etc. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Occupancy | The number of persons, including driver and passenger(s) in a vehicle. NPTS occupancy rates are generally calculated as person miles divided by vehicle miles. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Origin | Starting point of a trip. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Other Modes | Airplane: Includes commercial airplanes and smaller planes that are available for use by the general public in exchange for a fare. Private planes and helicopters are included under other. Taxi: The use of a taxicab by a driver for hire or by a passenger for fare. Also includes airport limousines. Does not include rental cars if they are privately operated and not picking up passengers in return for fare. Bicycles: Includes bicycles of all speeds and sizes that do not have a motor. The U.S. national passenger railroad service providing intercity train service. Walk: Includes jogging, walking, etc., provided the origin and destination are not the same. School bus: Includes county school buses, private school buses, and buses chartered from private companies for the express purposes of carrying students to or from school and/or school-related activities. MOPED (Motorized Bicycle) : Includes motorized bicycles equipped with a small engine, typically 2 horsepower or less. Also includes minibikes such as dirt bikes and trail bikes. Note that a motorized bicycle may or may not be licensed for highway use. Other. Includes any types of transportation not listed above. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| PSU | Primary Sampling Unit ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Passenger | For a specific trip, any occupant of a motorized vehicle, other than the driver. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Passengers Crossing In Buses | Number of persons arriving by bus requiring U.S. Customs processing. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Passengers Crossing In Privately Owned Vehicles | Persons entering the United States at a particular port by private automobiles, pick-up trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, taxis, ambulances, hearses, tractors, snowmobiles and other motorized private ground vehicles. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Passengers Crossing In Trains | Number of passengers and crew arriving by train and requiring U.S. Customs processing. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Peak-period Trip | Any travel day trip that began between 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. or from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Pedestrian Crossings | The number of persons arriving on foot or by certain conveyance (such as bicycles, mopeds, or wheel chairs) requiring U.S. Customs processing. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Person Miles of Travel (PMT) | A measure of person travel. When one person travels one mile, one person mile of travel results. Where 2 or more persons travel together in the same vehicle, each person makes the same number of person miles as the vehicle miles. Therefore, four persons traveling 5 miles in the same vehicle, make 4 times 5 or 20 person miles. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Person Trip | A person trip is a trip by one or more persons in any mode of transportation. Each person is considered as making one person trip. For example, four persons traveling together in one auto make four person trips. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Private Vehicle | Automobile: A privately owned and/or operated licensed motorized vehicle including cars, jeeps and station wagons. Also includes leased and rented cars if they are privately operated and not picking up passengers in return for fare. Van: Privately owned and/or operated vans and mini vans designed to carry from 5 to 13 passengers or to haul cargo.Pickup Truck: A motorized vehicle, privately owned and/or operated, with an enclosed cab that usually accommodates 2-3 passengers and an open cargo area in the rear. Pickup trucks usually have about the some wheelbase as a full-size station wagon.Other Truck: All trucks other than pickups, i.e., dump trucks, trailer trucks, etc.RV or Motor Home: Includes self-powered recreational vehicles that are operated as a unit without being towed by another vehicle (e.g., a Winnebago motor home).Motorcycle: Includes large, medium, and small motorcycles. Does not include minibikes, which cannot be licensed for highway use. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Privately Owned Vehicle Crossings | Number of privately owned vehicles (POVs) arriving at a particular port. Includes pick-up trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, taxis, snowmobiles, ambulances, hearses, and other motorized private ground vehicles. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Public Transportation | Bus: Includes intercity buses, mass transit systems, and shuttle buses that are available to the general public. Also includes Dial-A-Bus and Senior Citizen buses that are available to the public. Does not include shuttle buses operated by a government agency or private industry for the convenience of employees, contracted or chartered buses or school buses. Commuter Trains: Includes commuter trains and passenger trains other than elevated trains and subways. Includes local and commuter train service. Does not include intercity service by Amtrak.Streetcar/Trolley: Includes trolleys, streetcars, and cable cars.Elevated Rail/Subway: Includes elevated and subway trains in a city. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Rail Container Crossings (loaded and empty) | A container is any conveyance entering the U.S. used for commercial purposes, full or empty. In this case, it is the number of full or empty rail containers arriving at a port. This series includes containers moving as inbound shipments. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Segmented Trip | A trip that includes at least one transfer. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Traffic Accident | An accident that involved a motor vehicle that occurred on a public highway or road in the United States and that resulted in property damage or personal injury. Does not include accidents that happened in a parking lot, in a driveway, on a private road, or in a foreign country. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Train Crossings | Number of arriving trains at a particular port. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Transfer | To change vehicles or means of transportation while traveling between origin and destination. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Travel Day | A 24-hour period from 4:00 a.m. to 3:59 a.m. designated as the reference period for studying trips and travel by members of a sampled household. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Travel Day Trip | A travel day trip is defined as any one-way travel from one address (place) to another by any means of transportation (e.g., private motor vehicle, public transportation, bicycle, or walking). When travel is to more than one destination, a separate trip exists each time one or both of the following criteria is satisfied: the travel time between two destinations exceeds 5 minutes, and/or the purpose for travel to one destination is different from the purpose for travel to another. The one exception is travel within a shopping center or mall. It is to be considered travel to one destination, regardless of the number of stores visited. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Travel Period | The 13 days immediately preceding the travel day and the designated travel day for a sampled household, for a total of 14 days. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Travel Period Trip | A travel period trip is one-way to a destination, which is 75 miles-or-more from home with a return home trip during the 14-day travel period. Travel to the destination is counted as one trip and travel to return home is counted as another trip. For example, a person living in Denver flies to San Francisco, stays one week, and returns to Denver during the 14-day travel period. This would be counted as two travel period trips - one outgoing and one return. The only time a travel period trip would not have a return trip collected is when the respondent moves his/her residence. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Trip Purpose | The main reason that motivated the trip. For purposes of this survey, there are 11 trip reasons. For travel day trips, if there was more than one reason, and the reasons do not involve different destinations, then only the main reason is chosen. If there are two or more reasons, and they each involve different destinations, then each reason is classified as a separate trip. For travel period trips, if there was more than one reason, the primary reason was collected. The 11 trip reasons are defined as follows: To or from Work: Includes travel to a place where one reports for work. Does not include any other work-related travel. Work-related Business: Trips related to business activities except travel to the place of work; for example, a plumber drives to a wholesale dealer to purchase supplies for his business or a company executive travels from his office to another firm to attend a business meeting. Business, out- of-town trips, and professional conventions are also included. Shopping: Includes window-shopping and purchase of commodities such as groceries, furniture, clothing, etc. for use or consumption elsewhere. Doctor/Dentist: Trips made for medical, dental, or psychiatric treatment or other related professional services. Other family or personal business: Includes the purchase of services such as cleaning garments, servicing an automobile, haircuts, banking, legal services, etc. School/Church: Trips to school, college or university for class(es), to PTA meetings, seminars, etc., to church services or to participate in other religious activities. Social activities that take place at a church or school but cannot be classified as religious or educational are not included in this category. Vacation: Trips reported by the respondent as vacation. Visit friends or relatives: Trips made to visit friends or relatives. Pleasure driving: Driving trips made with no other purpose listed but to go for a drive with no destination in mind. Other social or recreational: Trips taken to enjoy some form of social activity involving friends or acquaintances. Includes trips for general entertainment or recreation (both as observer or as participant).Other social or recreational: Trips taken to enjoy some form of social activity involving friends or acquaintances. Includes trips for general entertainment or recreation (both as observer or as participant). Other: For trips that do not fit in any of the other categories. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Truck Container Crossings (loaded and empty) | A container is any conveyance entering the U.S. used for commercial purposes, full or empty. In this case, it is the number of full or empty truck containers arriving at a port. This series includes containers moving as inbound shipments. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Truck Crossings | Number of arriving trucks; does not include privately owned pick-up trucks. ( Border Crossing Data ) |
| Urbanized Area | An approximate classification of sample households as belonging to an urbanized area. Those classified as belonging to an urbanized area were either in a central city of an MSA, or in a MSA but outside the central city, and within a zip code area with a population density of at least 500 people per square mile in 1990. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Vehicle Mile of Travel (VMT) | A unit to measure vehicle travel made by a private vehicle, such as an automobile, van, pickup truck, or motorcycle. Each mile traveled is counted as one vehicle mile regardless of the number of persons in the vehicle. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Vehicle Occupancy | The number of persons, including driver and passenger(s) in a vehicle; also includes persons who did not complete a whole trip. NPTS occupancy rates are generally calculated as person miles divided by vehicle miles. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Vehicle Trip | A trip by a single vehicle regardless of the number of persons in the vehicle. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
| Vehicle Type | For purposes of the 1990 NPTS, nine vehicle types are: Automobile (including station wagon) Passenger Van Cargo Van Pickup Truck (including pickup with camper) Other Truck RV or Motor Home Motorcycle Moped (Motorized Bicycle) Other (Specify). See Means of Transportation for definitions of these vehicle types. ( Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey ) |
