61 Utility Truck Statistics on Fleets, Emissions, Energy and Electrification

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Utility trucks span bucket trucks, service vans and broader vocational-vehicle classes, so their statistics depend on the definition used. The available U.S. evidence covers observed fleet samples, modeled emissions, demonstration vehicles, a medium-duty delivery evaluation and historical Class 4–7 sales.

Key Utility Truck Statistics

The most useful headline figures are:

  • 20 bucket trucks contributed 283 vehicle-days of driving data to NREL’s U.S. Fleet DNA dataset on the dataset page accessed in 2026.
  • Four service vans contributed 29 vehicle-days of data to the U.S. Fleet DNA dataset on the dataset page accessed in 2026.
  • About 8 hours of bucket operation per day was reported by an electrical-line utility bucket-truck operation in Tennessee in the FY2008 DOE report.
  • About 50 vehicle miles per day was typical for that Tennessee utility bucket-truck operation in FY2008.
  • Class IV utility trucks weigh 14,001–16,000 lb GVW under the EPA’s 2008 heavy-duty diesel classification.
  • Class V bucket utility trucks weigh 16,001–19,500 lb GVW under the EPA’s 2008 classification.
  • 17.850 grams of NOx per hour was the EPA’s modeled July 2008 idle average for U.S. Class IV diesel utility trucks.
  • 18.655 grams of NOx per hour was the EPA’s modeled July 2008 idle average for U.S. Class V bucket trucks.
  • 40 miles of all-electric range was specified for PG&E’s 2015 plug-in hybrid bucket-truck demonstration before diesel-hybrid operation.
  • Up to 120 kW of export power was specified for that PG&E Class 5 plug-in hybrid bucket truck in 2015.
  • 80% fewer greenhouse-gas emissions was the DOE-reported potential for the PG&E hybrid truck versus a conventional bucket truck in the 2015 demonstration.
  • 70 utilities committed 5% of fleet-purchase budgets to plug-in electric vehicles in a 2015 announcement.
  • Diesel vehicles averaged 38.23 miles per day in the 2013–2014 Federal Way, Washington, medium-duty evaluation.
  • EVs averaged 32.50 miles per day in that Federal Way evaluation.
  • Diesel fuel cost averaged $0.507 per mile versus $0.159 for EVs in the Federal Way evaluation using 2013 prices.
  • 79% of EV trips used less than 55 kWh of an 80-kWh battery in the Federal Way evaluation.
  • 10 charging stations served the Federal Way EV fleet during the 2013–2014 evaluation.
  • $22,000 was the estimated average installation cost per charging station at the Federal Way depot.
  • 60% stronger CO2 standards than Phase 2 are set for U.S. light-heavy vocational vehicles in model year 2032 under EPA Phase 3.
  • U.S. Class 4–7 truck sales were 59% lower in 2009 than in 2005, a historical comparison that is not utility-truck-only.

Contents

Utility Truck Fleet Definitions, Operating Scale and Duty Cycles

“Utility truck” is not a single universal statistical category. NREL’s Fleet DNA bucket-truck category covers Class 3 through Class 7 vehicles used in utility and telecommunications applications, while its related service-van category covers Class 2 through Class 3 utility and telecommunications vans.

NREL’s data are research samples rather than a census. The dataset page accessed in 2026 contains 283 vehicle-days from 20 bucket trucks and 29 vehicle-days from four service vans in the United States. NREL, Fleet DNA: Commercial Fleet Vehicle Operating Data

A DOE FY2008 case study illustrates how a utility bucket truck can spend more time working than traveling. Dillard-Smith Construction in Tennessee reported about 8 hours of bucket operation per day and typically about 50 miles per day for its electrical-line utility bucket-truck operation.

Those figures describe one fleet partner, not a national average. DOE, EERE Success Story—DOE Supports PG&E Development of Next Generation Plug-in Hybrid Electric Trucks

The EPA’s weight labels provide another definition boundary:

EPA class Defined utility-truck scope Weight or measure Period and geography
Class IV Heavy-duty diesel utility trucks, including landscape utility trucks 14,001–16,000 lb GVW 2008, United States
Class V Heavy-duty diesel bucket utility trucks 16,001–19,500 lb GVW 2008, United States

These are regulatory weight classifications, not counts of vehicles. EPA, Idling Vehicle Emissions for Passenger Cars, Light-Duty Trucks, and Heavy-Duty Trucks

Utility Truck Emissions Statistics by Weight Class

EPA idle factors are modeled national averages for the in-use fleet as of July 2008. They are intended for relatively short idle periods, not heavy-duty hoteling, so they should not be treated as measured emissions from every utility truck.

For Class IV diesel utility trucks, EPA estimated the following average idle emissions:

  • VOC: 2.025 g/hr, or 0.034 g/min.
  • THC: 2.055 g/hr, or 0.034 g/min.
  • CO: 12.898 g/hr, or 0.215 g/min.
  • NOx: 17.850 g/hr, or 0.298 g/min.
  • PM2.5: 1.065 g/hr, or 0.018 g/min.
  • PM10: 1.157 g/hr, or 0.019 g/min.

For Class V bucket trucks, the corresponding modeled averages were VOC 2.120 g/hr, THC 2.150 g/hr, CO 13.183 g/hr, NOx 18.655 g/hr, PM2.5 1.008 g/hr and PM10 1.095 g/hr. The source reports the minute equivalents as 0.035, 0.036, 0.220, 0.311, 0.017 and 0.018 g/min, respectively. EPA, Idling Vehicle Emissions for Passenger Cars, Light-Duty Trucks, and Heavy-Duty Trucks

For heavier diesel classes, the EPA’s modeled idle NOx averages were 24.325 g/hr for Class VI, 30.343 g/hr for Class VII, 35.758 g/hr for Class VIIIa and 42.345 g/hr for Class VIIIb. These broader class values are not a utility-truck census and should not be assigned exclusively to bucket trucks.

Utility Truck Electrification and Hybrid Performance Data

The PG&E Class 5 plug-in hybrid bucket truck demonstration shows why utility applications are evaluated on more than road fuel consumption. In 2015, the vehicle was specified with 40 miles of all-electric range before switching to diesel-hybrid operation and could export up to 120 kW for emergency or maintenance operations.

DOE reported potential for 80% fewer greenhouse-gas emissions than a conventional bucket truck. That is a potential modeled or engineering result for a demonstration vehicle, not a measured fleet-wide outcome. DOE, EERE Success Story—DOE Supports PG&E Development of Next Generation Plug-in Hybrid Electric Trucks

The same 2015 announcement said 70 utilities committed to use 5% of fleet-purchase budgets for plug-in electric vehicles. This was an announced commitment, not verified subsequent purchasing.

A separate NREL medium-duty EV evaluation used 10 Federal Way EVs at a Washington depot during 2013–2014. Because those vehicles were part of a delivery-fleet study, its results are useful comparators for medium-duty electrification but are not direct bucket-truck results. NREL, Field Evaluation of Medium-Duty Plug-in Electric Delivery Trucks

Utility Truck Fuel, Energy and Operating-Cost Statistics

The Federal Way evaluation measured diesel and electric medium-duty delivery vehicles under the same study context. Diesel vehicles averaged 38.23 miles per day, while EVs averaged 32.50 miles per day during 2013–2014.

Measure Diesel vehicles EVs Period and geography
Energy or fuel per day 4.97 gal 1.21 gal diesel-equivalent 2013–2014, Federal Way, WA
Consumption per 100 miles 13.11 gal 3.81 gal diesel-equivalent 2013–2014, Federal Way, WA
Efficiency 7.63 mpg equivalent 24.09 mpg equivalent 2013–2014, Federal Way, WA
Energy per day 187.24 kWh 45.66 kWh 2013–2014, Federal Way, WA
Fuel or energy cost $0.507/mile $0.159/mile 2013 prices and study electricity assumptions

The EV efficiency figure includes the report’s 90% charger-efficiency assumption. The study’s fuel-cost break-even diesel price was $1.212 per gallon, derived from its vehicle efficiencies and $0.102/kWh electricity assumption; that is a study-specific derived value.

At $3.79 per gallon diesel, increasing annual EV mileage from 8,488 to 10,610 miles was estimated to save $750 per vehicle per year. The scenario used $0.102/kWh electricity and the study efficiencies, and fuel savings excluded purchase and maintenance costs. NREL, Field Evaluation of Medium-Duty Plug-in Electric Delivery Trucks

Utility Truck Charging, Range and Infrastructure Statistics

The Federal Way evaluation found that 79% of EV trips used less than 55 kWh of the available 80-kWh battery capacity. The EVs averaged 1.40 kWh per mile, including accessory loads, but these were delivery-fleet routes rather than utility bucket-truck routes.

The depot installed 10 charging stations. Each supplied up to 75 amps at 208 volts, with continuous output from 3.8 to 19.2 kW.

The average estimated installation cost was $22,000 per station, dominated by construction and therefore not a universal infrastructure price. At the end of a typical day, the 10-vehicle fleet averaged 42% state of charge and required 6.1 hours to recharge to 100%.

Each Federal Way EV charged an average of 52.6 kWh AC per day over the measured three-month charging period. These infrastructure and charging figures describe one depot configuration, not a national utility-truck requirement. NREL, Field Evaluation of Medium-Duty Plug-in Electric Delivery Trucks

Historical Class 4–7 sales data show market context, not a current utility-truck forecast. In 2009, Ford and International each accounted for about 25% of Class 4–7 truck sales in the United States, Freightliner held 20%, and General Motors held 12%.

U.S. Class 4–7 truck sales in 2009 were 59% lower than in 2005. The figures are historical combined Class 4–7 sales and are not utility-only sales. U.S. Department of Energy, 2010 Vehicle Technologies Market Report

EPA Phase 3 standards establish a forward regulatory trajectory for U.S. light-heavy vocational vehicles. Compared with the Phase 2 standard, the reductions are 17% in model year 2027, 22% in 2028, 27% in 2029, 32% in 2030, 46% in 2031 and 60% in 2032.

Those percentages are forecast regulatory standards rather than observed fleet-emissions reductions. EPA, Final Standards to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Heavy-Duty Vehicles for Model Year 2027 and Beyond

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