INTERVIEWER:

1990

PLEASE CALL DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE TO GET THE TELEPHONE NUMBER 

FOR THE HOUSEHOLD LISTED ON THE ADDRESS LABEL

R90E-06 

120790

a Telephone f ) -

D Telephone number is UNLISTED

a NO telephone NUMBER listed for this name at this address

D OTHER: Please describe result below:

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-1
Department of Energy

Washington, DC 20585 

January 1991

Dear Resident:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Is committed to developing a 

comprehensive National Energy Strategy. One of the ways DOE is 

attempting to do this is by learning about your vehicles' energy 

use. But, your help is needed.

An interviewer will telephone you shortly to ask questions about 

your motor vehicles. The interviewer is employed by the Response 

Analysis Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey, who is under 

contract to the Energy Information Administration of DOE to 

conduct the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey 

(RTECS). This survey will provide important information on 

current trends in energy use in the residential transportation 

sector and will help those who are planning for our energy 

future. Examples of information from the survey are enclosed.

Your household was picked as part of a scientific sample of 

households throughout the United States. Because this is a 

sample survey, your answers represent not only your vehicles, but 

thousands of other vehicles like yours. For this reason, your 

participation in this voluntary survey is extremely important. 

There is no penalty for not answering, but each missing answer 

makes the national data on energy less accurate and complete.

The information you provide and your identity will be held 

confidential in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 

of 1974. See the statement on the other side of this letter for 

further details on the Privacy Act and public reporting burden,

If you have any questions about the survey, please call collect 

to Jim Devlin, of the Response Analysis Corporation at (609) 921- 

3333. If you wish to contact someone at the Department of Energy 

about the survey, please call collect to Martha Johnson, the 

RTECS survey manager at (202) 586-1135.

He appreciate your cooperation.

Sine

A. Kent, Ph.D. 

Administrator 

Energy Information Administration

Enclosure

1991 RTEGS Operations Manual/Appendix A-2
PRIVACY ACT NOTICE

The Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is being 

conducted by the Response Analysis Corporation for the U.S. 

Department of Energy. It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as 

amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information about 

vehicles used by households for personal use. This information 

helps the Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to 

administer programs, monitor energy usage, and plan for our 

energy future.

Once the data about vehicle consumption and expenditures have 

been linked with the information describing your households and 

we have concluded our planned contacts with your households, your 

name and address will be destroyed.

The Department of Energy will receive only your answers, not vour 

name or address. Your_answers will.....be_screeped to protect your 

identity; the Department of JEnerov or other Government agency 

will not be able to locate youy household.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary.

PUBLIC REPORTING BURDEN

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is 

estimated to average 5 to 10 minutes.

Send comments regarding public reporting burden or any other 

aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions 

for reducing this burden, to:

Energy Information Administration 

Office of Statistical Standards 

El-73, Mail Station: 2E-081 

1000 Independence Avenue, S.W. 

Washington, D.C. 20585

and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 

Office of Management and Budget 

Washington, D.C. 20503

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-3
Department of Energy

Washington, DC 20585 

February 1991

Dear Resident:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is committed to developing a comprehensive National Energy Strategy. One of the ways DOE is attempting to do this is by learning about your vehicles 8 energy 

use. But, your help is needed.

An interviewer will telephone you shortly to ask questions about 

your motor vehicles. The interviewer is employed by the Response Analysis Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey, who is under 

contract to the Energy Information Administration of DOE to 

conduct the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey 

(RTECS). This survey will provide important information on 

current trends in energy use in the residential transportation 

sector and will help those who are planning for our energy 

future. Examples of information from the survey ar enclosed.

Your household was picked as part of a scientific sample of 

households throughout the United States. Because this is a 

sample survey, your answers represent not only your vehicles, but 

thousands of other vehicles like yours. For this reason, your participation in this voluntary survey is extremely important. 

There is no penalty for not answering, but each missing answer 

makes the national data on energy less accurate and complete.

The information you provide and your identity will be held 

confidential in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 

of 1974. See the statement on the other side of this letter for 

further details on the Privacy Act and public reporting burden.

If you have any questions about the survey, please call collect 

to Jim Devlin, of the Response Analysis Corporation at (609) 921- 

3333. If you wish to contact someone at the Department of Energy 

about the survey, please call collect to Martha Johnson, the 

RTECS survey manager at (202) 586-1135.

We appreciate your cooperation.

Sine

Calvin A. Kent, Ph.D. 

Administrator

•"««-— *tJ

Enclosure

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-4
PRIVACY ACT

This Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is 

being conducted by the Response Analysis Corporation for the U.S. 

Department o£ Energy, It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275) , as 

amended .

The purpose of this survey is to collect information about 

vehicles used by households for personal use. This information 

helps the Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to 

administer programs, monitor energy usage, and plan for our 

energy future.

Once the data about vehicle consumption and expenditures have 

been linked with the information describing your households and 

we have concluded our planned contacts with your households e your 

name and address will be destroyed.

The Departffie-Q.t-..^lf^n^^^---w^^l....y^c^lyg--QP^y--yoj^r- answers, not your 

name or address . .. Your answers will__be_screened to protect your 

identity? the Department of -.Energy_l__pr _ any, other Government 

agency will not be able to locate your household.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary.

PUBLIC REPORTING BURDEN

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is 

estimated to average 10 minutes for the telephone interview.

Send comments regarding public reporting burden or any other 

aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions 

for reducing this burden , to;

Energy Information Administration 

Office of Statistical Standards 

El-73, Mail Station: 2F-081 

1000 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20585

and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 

Office of Management and Budget 

Washington, DC 20503

1891 RTECS Operations Manual/Appandix A-5
Washington, DC 20585 

March 1991

Dear Resident:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is committed to developing a 

comprehensive National Energy Strategy. One of the ways DOE is 

attempting to do this is by learning about your vehicles' energy 

use. But, your help is needed.

An interviewer will telephone you shortly to ask questions about 

your motor vehicles. The interviewer is employed by the Response 

Analysis Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey, who is under 

contract to the Energy Information Administration of DOE to 

conduct the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey 

(RTECS). This survey will provide important information on 

current trends in energy use in the residential transportation 

sector and will help those who are planning for our energy 

future. Examples of information from the survey are enclosed.

Your household was picked as part of a scientific sample of 

households throughout the United States. Because this is a 

sample survey, your answers represent not only your vehicles, but 

thousands of other vehicles like yours. For this reason, your 

participation in this voluntary survey is extremely important. 

There is no penalty for not answering, but each missing answer 

makes the national data on energy less accurate and complete.

The information you provide and your identity will be held 

confidential in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 

of 1974. See the statement on the other side of this letter for 

further details on the Privacy Act and public reporting burden.

If you have any questions about the survey, please call collect 

to Jim Devlin, of the Response Analysis Corporation at (609) 921- 

3333. If you wish to contact someone at the Department of Energy 

about the survey, please call collect to Martha Johnson, the 

RTECS survey manager at (202) 586-1135.

We appreciate your cooperation.

Sincerely,

CaTvin A. Kent, Ph.D.

Administrator

Energy Information Administration

Enclosure

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-8
PRIVACY ACT NOTICE

This Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is 

being conducted by the Response Analysis Corporation for the U.S. 

Department of Energy. It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as 

amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information about 

vehicles used by households for personal use. This information 

helps the Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to 

administer programs, monitor energy usage, and plan for our

energy future.

Once the data about vehicle consumption and expenditures have 

been linked with the information describing your households and 

we have concluded our planned contacts with your households, your 

name and address will be destroyed.

The Department of Energy will receive only vour answers, not^ymir 

name or address. Your answers will be screened to protect your 

identity; the Department of Energy, or anv other Government 

agency will not be able to locate your householdYour participation in this survey is voluntary.

PUBLIC REPORTING BURDEN

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is 

estimated to average 10 minutes for the telephone interview.

Send comments regarding public reporting burden or any other 

aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions 

for reducing this burden, to:

Energy Information Administration 

Office of Statistical Standards 

El-73, Mail Stations 2F-081 

1000 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20585

and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 

Office of Management and Budget 

Washington, DC 20503

19S1 RTECS Operations Manual/Appsndix A-7
RESPONS An employee owned company

377 WALL STREET 

POST OFFICE BOX 158 

PRINCETON. NEW JERSEY O8542 

(609)921-3333

January, 1991

Thank you!

Last fall you participated in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Residential Energy Consumption 

Survey (RECS). In conjunction with the REGS, the DOE also conducts the Residential Transportation 

Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) which concentrates on energy used for personal transportation. 

This RTECS information, when linked with the energy consumption used in the home (from the REGS), 

provides information on all energy used in the residential sector. The Response Analysis Corporation is 

the data collection contractor for the DOE for both surveys.

As part of the RTECS, we now need to update information and ask a few additional questions concerning 

your vehicles and their use. Information obtained from you will represent thousands of other households 

that have similar vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us by completing the enclosed cards. It will only take a few minutes. An 

instruction page which explains how to use the cards has been included.

After filling out the cards, please keep them near your telephone. We will be calling you later this month 

to get the mileage (odometer) reading for each of your vehicles, and to get the Vehicle Identification 

Number for any vehicle for which we haven't previously collected it.

I am enclosing an introductory letter from Dr. Calvin A. Kent of the Energy Information Administration. 

Please note that your identity will be held confidential. No information linking your name and address with 

the data you provide will ever be given to the Department of Energy, or to any other government agency.

Your participation is very important to the success of this research and is totally voluntary. Please call 

me collect at (609) 921-3333 rf you have any questions about this survey.

Thank you again for your cooperation. 

Sincerely,

f Jim Jim Devlin Hex/

Survey Manager

Response Analysis Corporation

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-8
RESPONS An employes-owned company

377 WALL STREET 

POST OFFICE BOX 158 

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY O8542 

(609)921-3333

February, 1991

Thank you!

Last fall you participated in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Residential Energy Consumption 

Survey (RECS). In conjunction with the REGS, the DOE also conducts the Residential Transportation 

Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) which concentrates on energy used for personal transportation. 

This RTECS information, when linked with the energy consumption used in the home (from the RECS), 

provides information on all energy used in the residential sector. The Response Analysis Corporation is 

the data collection contractor for the DOE for both surveys.

As part of the RTECS, we now need to update information and ask a few additional questions concerning 

your vehicles and their use. Information obtained from you will represent thousands of other households 

that have simitar vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us by completing the enclosed cards. It will only take a few minutes. An 

instruction page which explains how to use the cards has been included.

After filling out the cards, please keep them near your telephone. We will be calling you within a week 

or two to get the mileage (odometer) reading for each of your vehicles, and to get the Vehicle Identifi 

cation Number for any vehicle for which we haven't previously collected it.

I am enclosing an introductory letter from Dr. Calvin A. Kent of the Energy Information Administration. 

Please note that your identity will be held confidential. No information linking your name and address with 

the data you provide will ever be given to the Department of Energy, or to any other government agency.

Your participation is very important to the success of this research and is totally voluntary. Please call 

me collect at (609) 921 -3333 if you have any questions about this survey.

Thank you again for your cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Jim Devlin

Survey Manager

Response Analysis Corporation

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-9
RESPONS

377 WALL STREET

POST OFFICE BOX 158

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY O8542-O158

(609)921-3333

March, 1991

Thank you!

Last fall you participated in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Residential Energy Consumption Survey 

(RECS). In conjunction with the REGS, the DOE also conducts the Residential Transportation Energy 

Consumption Survey (RTECS) which concentrates on energy used for personal transportation. This RTECS 

information, when finked with the energy consumption used in the home (from the RECS), provides 

information on all energy used in the residential sector. The Response Analysis Corporation is the data 

collection contractor for the DOE for both surveys.

As part of the RTECS, we now need to update information and ask a few additional questions concerning 

your vehicles and their use. Information obtained from you will represent thousands of other households 

that have similar vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us by completing the enclosed cards. It will only take a few minutes. An 

instruction page which explains how to use the cards has been included.

After filling out the cards, please keep them near your telephone. We will be calling you in early March 

to get the mileage (odometer) reading for each of your vehicles, and to get the Vehicle Identification 

Number for any vehicle for which we haven't previously collected rt.

i am enclosing an introductory letter from Dr. Calvin A. Kent of the Energy Information Administration. 

Please note that your identity will be held confidential. No information linking your name and address with 

the data you provide will ever be given to the Department of Energy, or to any other government agency.

Your participation is very important to the success of this research and is totally voluntary. Please call me 

collect at (609) 921-3333 if you have any questions about this survey.

Thank you again for your cooperation. 

Sincerely,

u/IJmJim Devlin

Survey Manager

Response Analysis Corporation

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-10
RESPONS

377 WALL STREET

POST OFFICE BOX 158

PRINCBON. NEW JERSEY O8542-O158

(609)921-3333

January, 1991

Thank you!

Last fall you participated in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Residential Energy 

Consumption Survey (REGS), in conjunction with the REGS, the DOE also conducts the 

Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) which concentrates on 

energy used for personal transportation. This RTECS information, when linked with the 

energy consumption used in the home (from the REGS), provides information on all 

energy used in the residential sector. Response Analysis Corporation is the data 

collection contractor for the DOE for both surveys.

As part of the RTEGS, we now need to update information and ask a few additional 

questions concerning your vehicles and their use. Information obtained from you will 

represent thousands of other households that have similar vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us by completing the enclosed cards. It will only take a few 

minutes. An instruction page which explains how to use the cards has been included.

After you have filled out the cards, please return them using the self-addressed Business 

Reply envelope that we have provided.

I am enclosing an introductory letter from Calvin A. Kent of the Energy Information 

Administration. Piease note that your identity will be held confidential. No information 

linking your name and address with the data you provide will ever be given to the 

Department of Energy, or to any other government agency.

Your participation is very important to the success of this research and is totally 

voluntary. Please call me collect at (609) 921 -3333 if you have any questions about this 

survey.

Thank you again for your cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Jmn Devlin

Survey Manager

Response Analysis Corporation

1991 RTECS Operations Manuai/Appendix A-11
RESPONSES

377 WALL STRET

POST OFFICE BOX 158

PRINCETON NEW JERSEY 08542-0158

(609)921-3333

February, 1991

Thank you!

Last fall you participated in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Residential Energy 

Consumption Survey (REGS). In conjunction with the REGS, the DOE also conducts the 

Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) which concentrates on 

energy used for personal transportation. This RTECS information, when linked with the 

energy consumption used in the home (from the RECS), provides information on all 

energy used in the residential sector. Response Analysis Corporation is the data 

collection contractor for the DOE for both surveys,

As part of the RTECS, we now need to update information and ask a few additional 

questions concerning your vehicles and their use. Information obtained from you will 

represent thousands of other households that have similar vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us by completing the enclosed cards, it will only take a few 

minutes. An instruction page which explains how to use the cards has been included.

After you have filled out the cards, please return them using the self-addressed Business 

Reply envelope that we have provided.

I am enclosing an introductory letter from Calvin A. Kent of the Energy Information 

Administration. Please note that your identity will be held confidential. No information 

linking your name and address with the data you provide will ever be given to the 

Department of Energy, or to any other government agency.

Your participation is very important to the success of this research and is totally 

voluntary. Please call me collect at (609) 921 -3333 if you have any questions about this 

survey.

Thank you again for your cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Jim Devlin

Survey Manager

Response Analysis Corporation

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-12
RESPONSEAi

377 WALL STREET 

POST OFFICE BOX 158 

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY O8542 

(609)921-3333

March, 1991

Thank you!

Last fall you participated in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Residential Energy 

Consumption Survey (REGS), in conjunction with the RECS, the DOE also conducts the 

Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) which concentrates on 

energy used for personal transportation. This RTECS information, when finked with the 

energy consumption used in the home (from the RECS), provides information on all 

energy used in the residential sector. Response Analysis Corporation is the data 

collection contractor for the DOE for both surveys.

As part of the RTECS, we now need to update information and ask a few additionai 

questions concerning your vehicles and their use, information obtained from you will 

represent thousands of other households that have similar vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us by completing the enclosed cards. It will only take a few 

minutes. An instruction page which explains how to use the cards has been included.

After you have filled out the cards, please return them using the self-addressed Business 

Reply envelope that we have provided.

I am enclosing an introductory letter from Calvin A. Kent of the Energy Information 

Administration. Please note that your identity will be held confidential. No information 

linking your name and address with the data you provide will ever be given to the 

Department of Energy, or to any other government agency.

Your participation is very important to the success of this research and is totally 

voluntary. Please call me collect at (609) 921-3333 if you have any questions about this 

survey..

Thank you again for your cooperation. 

Sincerely,

fjm Deviin 

Survey Manager 

Response Analysis Corporation

RT91-22

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-13
Washington, DC 20585

January 24, 1991

Dear Resident,

In early January 1991, you received a letter and a packet of 

materials from the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. 

Department of Energy (DOE) asking you to help us with our 1991 

Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) . 

(A copy of the original letter is enclosed.) In that letter, we 

indicated that our survey contractor, Response Analysis 

Corporation, would contact you to ask questions about your motor 

vehicles. We are temporarily postponing collecting this 

information.

The RTECS has been conducted every three years since 1980. The 

current survey has been in the planning stages for over a year. 

In fact, you helped in the development by participating in the 

Residential Energy Consumption Survey in the Fall of 1990 .

Since the information we gather is an important component in 

developing a comprehensive National Energy Strategy, we will 

contact you soon to resume the survey because your help is 

needed.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and 

appreciate your participation in the RTECS at a later date. If 

you have any questions please call collect to Martha Johnson, the 

DOE RTECS survey manager, at (202) 586-1135.

Sincerely,

Lynda T. Carlson, Director

Energy End Use Division

Energy Information Administration

Enclosure

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-14
1991 Residential Transportation Energy 

Vehicle identification Number Card

on Form Approval: 

OMB No.: 1905-0088 

Expires: 9/30/93

THIS CARD IS FOB YOUR:

M 1376 O] V

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

PASSENGER CAR 

YEAR: 19 84 

MAKE: HONDA 

MODEL NAME: CIVIC

In order for us to estimate the fuel efficiency of this vehicle, it would be helpful to know the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

The VIN provides information that allows researchers to estimate fuel economy for all types of cars, trucks and other vehicles. In this survey, your

vehicles will represent those from thousands of other households that have similar vehicles.

The VIN is a set of codes assigned to a vehicle at the factory which, when decoded, describe several of the vehicle's characteristics. These

characteristics may then be used to calculate an estimated miles per gallon for that specific type of vehicls.

lo information linking your name and address with the data you provide will be given to the Department of Energy, or any other government agency. 

Jata provided to the Department of Energy will be screened to protect the identity of individual households.

PLEASE SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS CARD FOR ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS ON WHERE TO FIND THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION 

NUMBER.

For the vehicle described at the top of this card, please carefully record its Vehicle Identification Number below.

VIN: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Check here if you cannot find the Vehicle Identification Number LJ.

After you have filled out the information requested, please return the card to the U.S. Department of Energy, Box 7335, Princeton, NJ 08543-9967, 

using the self-addressed Business Reply envelope.

EIA-876D2 THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

1991 RTEGS Operations Manual/Appendix A-15
1991 Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey

Beginning-of-Year Odometer Reading Card E*pif8S: 9'30'93

THIS CARD IS FOR YOUR:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

Please put this card in your vehicle and write down the total 

mileage (odometer reading) after the last use of this vehicle

MILES 

on

After you have filled out the information requested, please keep this card near your telephone. We will be calling you to 

get the information. Or, if you will be difficult to reach by phone, call collect to Jim Devlin at (609) 921-3333.

Please see the other side of this card for additional instructions.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

EIA-876C

1991 RTEG8 Operations Manual/Appendix A-16
EIA-876A (1991) FORM APPROVAL

OMB NO: 1905-0068 

EXPIRES: 9/30/93

1991 RESIDENTIAL TRANSPORTATION ENERGY CONSUMPTION SURVEY

HOW TO USE THE ENCLOSED CARDS 

Please read this first before filling out any cards

1. We have two different types of cards:

n BEGINNING-OF-YEAR ODOMETER CARDS

and 

m VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) CARDS

2. The label in the upper right-hand corner of each of these cards identifies which 

vehicle that card is for. For each vehicle that you have told us about, we have 

filled in this label with the MAKE, MODEL, YEAR and TYPE for that vehicle.

We have also sent you one ODOMETER CARD and one VEHICLE 

IDENTIFICATION CARD, where this label was left blank. Set these two blank 

cards aside for now.

3. For each ODOMETER CARD labeled for your vehicle, please fill out by 

following the instructions on the card.

4. We have sent you a VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN} CARD 

labeled for each vehicle, only in the event that we still need the Vehicle 

Identification Number for that Vehicle. (In some cases the VIN was unavailable 

at the time we last contacted you, and in other cases the VIN was transcribed 

incorrectly by our interviewer.) The VIN contains information on engine 

specifications which helps us to estimate fuel economy. Please fill out according 

to the instructions on the card.

5. The blank ODOMETER and VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER CARDS 

are for any vehicle you may have acquired since we last contacted you. Because 

we were unaware of this newly acquired vehicle, we did not fill out the cards 

labels specifying MAKE, MODEL, YEAR and TYPE of vehicle. Please fill out 

the labels and other information on these two cards for any newly acquired 

vehicles.

Thank you very much.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-11
DATA 

1988 Residential Transportation

Some highlights from the 19SS survey ares

There were an average of 1.8 vehicles per household. 

The average on-road vehicle miles per gallon was 18.3. 

Households had 4.7 million more pickup trucks than in 1985.

Average Miles Traveled per Vehicle by Vehicle Type,

12.7

11.8

9.4

Total Pickup

Trueh

Vehicle Type

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets end End Use. 

Household Vehicles Energy Consumption 1988, Residential Transportation Energy 

Consumption Survey, DOE/EIA- 0464(88), Figure 6, p.14.

Summary of Vehicle Characteristics in the United States are:

• Number of Households with Vehicles

• Number of Vehicles 

H Vehicle Miles Traveled per Household 

» Vehicle Fuel Consumption per Household 

« Vehicle Fuel Expenditures per Household

18,595

1,014

998

81.3

147.5

This information was Dr«oar«d bv the Enemy Information Administration, tha indspsndant stafssf.isai mnd «Rah4iea! aaenev 

within the Department of Energy. The information contained herein should not be conrtrusef as advocating or reflecting 

any policy position of the Department of Energy or any other organization.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-18
RTECS Oparations Manual/AopsndiF. AM;'
RT91-18 

011191

1991 Residential

interviewer Instructions for the Beginnfng-of-Year Questionnaire

GENERAL 8NFORMATSOU

The Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) is conducted every three 

years.

The RTECS sample includes approximately 3,000 households.

All of the RTECS households have granted a personal interview last Fall for a survey of 

household energy use called RECS.

The foldout page in the questionnaire uses vehicle information that we got from the RECS. 

Both the RTECS and RECS are sponsored by the United States Department of Energy (DOE).

THE RTECS SAMPLE

The RTECS sample of approximately 3,000 households is split into 4 batches of roughly 750 

households per batch.

The 4 batches have "target dates" of January 14, January 21, January 28 and February 25.

The "target date" is the date we ask the household to use for recording the total mileage 

(odometer reading) for each vehicle.

DATA COLLECTION MATERIALS

Materials are sent to each household seven to ten days prior to the target date. These materials 

include:

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-20
«/ a Setter from the

/ a fetter from DOE for this a statement

/ Odometer Cards - one for on the and one blank card for 

an extra vehicle we know

/ VIN Cards - one for vehicle we the VIN # for and one blank 

card for an

/ An instruction for filling out the

/ Energy Fact the of

Be neat and write legibly you mark the Call

CALLING

The calling schedule for RTECS is as follows:

</ Maximum of two 6 PM time). 

^ At least two weekday-evening out of call

Warning: For the Coast, after 9 PM Eastern Standard 

Time.

S At least two out of

/ Space your atjeast 2% hours apart.

/ Vary your calling Do not call at the same time of day,

/ Maximum of two on any one day.

Exception: If a specific time Is given as the best time to call or the 

resoondent has vos.i to caH back later in the dav.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-21
/ Do not make any call after 10 PM local time, unless you were asked to call then.

CALL 

Busy Signal

Make several attempts to get the call through before marking "BUSY1 ,

Answering Machine

Do not leave a message.

No Answer

Let the phone ring at least twelve times without being answered before recording "NA".

Respondent Not Available

Ask for the person whose name is on the label. The spouse/partner or other 

"knowledgeable" person can be interviewed.

If the eligible respondent is not there or can't come to the phone, arrange for a callback. 

Record the callback time in EASTERN STANDARD TIME and mark "E8T".

Refusal

Mark "REF" if the household will not participate. Specify the refusal as "hard" or "soft" and 

make a brief note the gist of what the respondent has said. Use verbatims; include frank 

language if you feel it is necessary.

NOTE: If the respondent furnishes most of the information but refuses some items (e.g., 

refuses to give the VIN, or refuses to get the odometer reading), then DO NOT 

count this interview as a refusal; count it as a complete. Make a note on the call 

record sheet indicating that the respondent has refused to furnish at least some 

of the information.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-22
THE

An example of the is on the call sheet o! the beginning-of-year 

RTECS questionnaire is below.

Time Zone Code: E=Eastern, C=Cantral, M=Mountain, P=Pacific, A=Alaskan, H=Hawaiian

Household SD #

E T-1000-Jan 14

MR. JOHN

123 MAIN STREET

SMALLTOWN, NJ

609-921-0000

Mailing Address: May be different from actual 

residential address

Target Date: Date that the household was 

asked to use for recording 

odometer readings for their 

vehicles

Telephone Number: If the number is clearly wrong or & message says that the number Is disconnected or not in 

service, dial l-[area code]-555-1212 (directory assistance) and try to get a new phone number. 

Record the new number, if you get one, on the address label.

CORRECTING THE (Q. A2)

Make only the necessary corrections. We will assume all information is correct unless otherwise 

noted.

NOTE: We are asking for the correct MAILING address, not the actual residential address.

BEGINNING THE (Q. A3)'.

Before placing the call, review the foldout page. This page contains an inventory of the 

household's vehicles at the time of the REGS interview. Pay special attention to the VIN 

messages.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-23
We sent one odometer for each vehicle shown, plus one blank odometer card for 

an extra vehicie.

/ We sent one VIN for each vehicle that has the message "ASK FOR VIN", plus one 

blank VIN Card for an vehicle.

MOTE: If the foldout shows the message: DO NOT ASK VIN

FOR THIS OR 

OTHER VEHICLE 

we did not send any VIN Cards.

Even if the respondent didn't get the cards, djdn't fill out the cards, or can't jgelthe^cards now, 

GO AHEAD WITH THE INTERVIEW.

if you can persuade the respondent to get the odometer reading(s) and/or VIN(s), WAIT WHILE 

THEY DO THIS, if they cannot be persuaded, arrange for a callback.

Use the White and Blue pages for vehicles listed on the foldout page,

VEHICLE NO LONGER OWNED:

If the answer to Q. A3 is "NO" (the 

household no longer has that vehicle), 

complete the blue page for that 

vehicle.

NO VEHICLES ON FOLDOUT PAGE:

If there are no vehicles listed on the 

foldout page, go right to the Green 

Pages

Be careful to use the correct columns to record the answers (e.g., if you are asking about 

Vehicle 2 on the foldout page, use the column for Vehicle 2.

Ask all of the "A" Questions (A3 - A28), if appropriate, for one vehicle before going on to ask

oKnt it tho i"»Qvt

1S91 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-24
QUESTION-BY-QUESTION

Q. A3: Do yoy still have THE VEHICLE AS LISTED ON THE FOLDOUT PAGE]?

Q. A4: Have i described it correctly?

If the answer is "NO" (description is 

wrong), then CORRECT the foldout 

page so that it's right.

If the foldout page does not give the 

make name, mode! name, or year, try 

to get this information and record it on 

the foldout page.

Qs. AS - A7: Odometer reading (pronounced: O-DOM -E-TER) 

/ Do not record tenths of miles.

/ The "target date" for the odometer reading is at the top of the foidout page. 

Use this "target date" for Q. A6

If the odometer reading was not recorded on this date, write the date on which it was 

recorded in Q. A7.

/ If the respondent did not fill out the odometer card(s). wait while they do it. Cal! back 

if necessary.

Use the same procedure for Q. A8 - if they did not fill out the VIN card(s), wait while 

they do it.

Q. A8: The Vehicle Identification Number (called "VIM" for short).

/ The VIN is also called the "ID", "Serial #", "Factory #", and "Motor ID #"

/ The VIN usually consists of seventeen letters and numbers (i.e., 

AG12345KLMN1 23456), but may be shorter than seventeen. Do NOT question the 

reanondent 'rf he or she oives uou a VIM that is shorter than seventeen

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-25
YOU WILL WOT ASK Q. A8 FOR EVERY VEHICLE LISTED ON THE FOLDOUT PAGE. 

WHEN AND NOT TO ASK FOR THE VIN {Q. A8):

ASK FOR ViN: If the foldout page says either:

ViN INCORRECTLY

RECORDED or ASK FOR ViN

ASK FOR VIN

DO NOT ASK FOR ViN: If the foldout page says either:

DO NOT ASK VIN WE HAVE VIN 

FOR THIS OR ANY or DO NOT ASK VIN 

OTHER VEHICLE

Qs. A9 - A14: Vehicle Characteristics

/ "Don't Know" answers are OK. Do not ask for guesses.

/ In Q. A9, manual shift is also called "standard shift" or "stick shift"

Vehicles equipped with manual shift have a clutch pedal. Vehicles equipped with an 

automatic transmission DO NOT have a clutch pedal.

Qs. A15 A23: Fuei Information and MPG 

Watch skip patterns!

"Don't Know" answers are OK. Do not ask for guesses.

/ Qs. A15 - A18: Ask about "PAST YEAR" and what is "USUALLY1 purchased.

/ Qs. A19 - A20: Ask about "LAST TIME FUEL WAS PURCHASED"

/ Q. A15: ETHANOL BLEND is GASOHOL (gasoline containing some alcohol).

/ Qs. A17 & A20: MIDGRADE means "higher quality (octane) than regular, but not as

high quality (octane) as premium".

/ Qs. A21 & A23: Read these questions as they are printed, even though they are long.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-26
Is, - A28 Commutinj

/ Ask these questions only if the answer to Q. A25 is 'YES" (the vehicle is used for 

commuting).

</ Record miles and minutes for commuting one-way, not round trip.

Use the blue page if:

/ If the vehicle is listed on the foldout page

,/ The answer to Q. A3 for the vehicle is "NO" (the household no longer has the vehicle)

Pay attention to skip patterns!

If the answer to Q. B1 is "DONT KNOW", then skip the rest of the questions on the blue page.

The box at the bottom of the blue page is important. It contains skip instructions that tell you 

where to go next.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-27
Use the green pages to record information for a vehicle that the respondent:

</ has acquired since the REGS interview last Fail (not listed on foldout page)

had, but did not mention, at the time of the RECS interview (also not listed on foldout 

page)

SUMMARY: USE THE GREEN PAGES FOR VEHICLES NOT LISTED ON THE FOLDOUT PAGE.

QUEST1ON-BY-QUEST1OM

Q. C1: Do you have any other vehicles?

•/ DO NOT count motorcycles or mopeds - we're not interested in them.

S DO count company cars, trucks, and vans IF they are used for personal reasons.

/ DO count vehicles that belong to lodgers, students, and relatives that live in the 

household.

Q. C3: Please tell me the make, model name, and year of the vehicle.

</ The instruction box at bottom of page is important,

S Get as much make, model, and year information as you can,

Q. C4: What type of vehicle is It?

If the respondent says that the vehicle type is a 'VAN", probe for whether he or she 

considers it to be a LARGE VAN or a MINI VAN.

Qs. C6 - C8: Odometer Reading.

/ We hope that the respondent has used the blank odometer card that we sent.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-28
/ The target date" for the odometer is at the top of the

/ if the respondent did jig! JlLgut Jhe_odometer wait do it. Call back if 

necessary.

C9-C10: Asking for 1 

/ We hope that the respondent has the blank VIN that we 

/ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If the foldout has this message anywhere:

DO NOT

FOR THIS OR ANYOTHER VEHICLE

never ask for the V!N for ANY vehicle during the

</ if the respondent did_not fill out the V!N Card. do it. Calf back if 

necessary.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-29
A

COLLECTION 

TO

Letter from the Department of Energy 

Letter from Response Analysis 

Odometer Card 

VIN Card

Instrurtion Page 

Energy Fact Sheet

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-30
Letter the of

Washington, DC 20585 

January 1991

Dear Resident;

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is committed to developing a 

comprehensive National Energy Strategy. One of the ways DOE is 

attempting to do this is by learning about your vehicles' energy 

use. But, your help is needed.

An interviewer will telephone you shortly to ask questions about 

your motor vehicles. The interviewer is employed by the Response 

Analysis Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey, who is under 

contract to the Energy Information Administration of DOE to 

conduct the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey 

(RTECS). This survey will provide important information on^ 

current trends in energy use in the residential transportation 

sector and will help those who are planning for our energy 

future. Examples of information from the survey are enclosed.

Your household was picked as part of a sciantific sample of 

households throughout the United States. Because this is a 

sample survey, your answers represent not only your vehicles, but 

thousands of other vehicles like yours. For this reason, your 

participation in this voluntary survey is extremely important. 

There is no penalty for not answering, but each missing answer 

makes the national data on energy less accurate and complete.

The information you provide and your identity will be held 

confidential in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 

of 1974. See the statement on the other side of this latter for 

further details on the Privacy Act and public reporting burden.

If you have any questions about the survey, please call collect 

to Jim Devlin, of the Response Analysis Corporation at (60S) 921- 

3333, If you wish to contact someone at the Department of Energy 

about the survey, please call collect to Martha Johnson,, the 

RTECS survey manager at (202) 586-1135.

We appreciate your cooperation,

Sine

Calvin A. Kent, Ph.D. 

Administrator

Energy Information Administration

Enclosure

1091 RTECS Begirming-of-Year Interviewer instructions, Page 12

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A
PRIVACY ACT NOTICE

This Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is 

being conducted by the Response Analysis Corporation for the U.S. 

Department of Energy. It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as 

amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information about 

vehicles used by households for personal use. This information 

helps the Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to 

administer programs, monitor energy usage, and plan for our 

energy future.

Once the data about vehicle consumption and expenditures have 

been linked with the information describing your households and 

we have concluded our planned contacts with your households, your 

name and address will be destroyed.

The Department of Energy wiJJ. receive only your answers, not your 

name or address. Your answers will be screened to protect voux' 

identity; the Department of Energy., or any other Government 

agency wj.ll not be able to locate your household.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary.

PUBLIC REPORTING BURDEN

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is 

estimated to average 10 minutes for the telephone interview.

Send comments regarding public reporting burden or any other 

aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions 

for reducing this burden, to:

Energy Information Administration 

Office of Statistical Standards 

El-73, Mail Station: 2F-081 

1000 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20585

and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 

Office of Management and Budget 

Washington, DC 20503

1991 RTECS Beginnlng-of-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 13

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-32
3/7 WALL STREET 

POST OFFiCE BOX 1 X 

PPINCETON.NEW jiSStv 

(609)921-3333

January, 1991

Thank youi

Last fall you participated in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Residential Energy Consumption 

Survey (REGS). In conjunction with the RECS, the DOE also conducts the Residential Transportation 

Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) which concentrates on energy used for personal transportation. 

This RTECS information, when linked with the energy consumption used in the home (from the RECS), 

provides information on all energy used in the residential sector. The Response Analysis Corporation is 

the data collection contractor for the DOE for both surveys.

As part of the RTECS, ws now need to update information and ask a few additional questions concerning 

your vehicles and thair use. Information obtained from you will represent thousands of other households 

that have similar vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us by completing the enclosed cards. It will only take a few minutes. An 

instruction page which explains how to use the cards has been included.

After filling out the cards, please keep them near your telephone. We will be calling you later this month 

to get the mileage (odometer) reading for each of your vehicles, and to get the Vehicle Identification 

Number for any vehicle for which we haven't previously collected it.

I am enclosing an introductory letter from Dr. Calvin A. Kent of the Energy Information Administration. 

Please note that your identity will be held confidential. No information linking your name and address with 

the data you provide will ever be given to the Department of Energy, or to any other government agency.

Your participation is very important to the success of this research and is totally voluntary. Please call 

ma collect at (609) 921-3333 if you have any questions about this survey.

Thank you again for your cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Jim Devlin

Survey Manager

Response Analysis Corporation

1991 RTECS Beginning-of-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 14

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-33
1991 Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey 

Beginning-of-Year Odometer Reading Card

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

Please put this card in your vehicle and write down the total 

mileage (odometer reading) after the last use of this vehicle 

on MONDAY, JANUARY 2B, 1891 ......................

Form Approval' 

CMS No.: 1905^)038 

£epiro3; 9/3Q/93

THIS CARD iS FOR YOUR:

MILES

Aftar you have filled in the information requested, please keep this card near your telephone. We will be calling you to 

get the information. Or, if you will be difficult to reach by phone, call collect to Jim Devlin at (609) 921-3333.

Please see the other side of this card for additional instructions.

EiA-arsc

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

PLEASE READ THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS CARD FIRST j

Additional instructions:

If your mileage meter (odometer) registers tenths of miles, please ignore these and record whole number of miles only.

If vehicle is not used on the day and data given on the other side of this card, please record the total mileage (odometer 

reading) as of that day.

If the mileage meter (odometer) does not work, just let us know that.

One extra Odometer Reading Card was sent to you.

If your household now owns or regularly uses any replacement or additional vehicle that we didn't send an Odometer

Reading Card for, use the extra card for that vehicle, and fill in the TYPE, YEAR, MAKE, and MODEL NAME on the card

label.

1991 RTECS Beginnlng-of-Year Interviewer instructions, Page 15

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A--34
1991 Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Surrey 

Vshicia identification Number Card

QMS Mo.: 1805-C33S

THIS CARS IS FOR YOUR:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

In order for us to estimate the tin! efficiency of this vehiclo, it would be helpful to know ths VaMcte IdantrflcaikHi Wumtear (VIN).

Tha VIN provides Information that allows rowarchars 10 estimate fuel economy for all types of care, trucks and other vshldss. In thla ourvoy, your

vehicles will represent thoaa from thousands of other households that hav* similar vehicles.

Tho VIN is a aw of codea assigned to a vehicle at ths factory which, when decoded, describe several of the vshlcte'a characteristics. TOOK)

characteristics may than be usad to calculate nn estimated milss par gallon for that specific typa of vehicle.

No Information linking your name and address with the data you provide will bs given to the Department of Energy, or any othsr government agency. 

Data provided to the Deportment of Energy will tw screened to protect the Identity of Individual households.

PLEASE SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS CARD FOR ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS ON WHERE TO FIND THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION 

NUMBER.

For tfis whlcle described at tha top of this card, pleass carefully record its Vehicte ktenifHsatkffi Hymiww bslew. 

VIN: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Check hsra If you cannot find me Vehicle identification Number LJ .

After you hava filled out tha information requested, please ratum thla card naar your tatephoris. We will be calling you to gsi ttra Information, if you : 

be difficult to reach by phone, of if you have any questions about this survey, call collect to Jim Davlln at (609) 921-3333.

EIA-878D1 THANK YOtiFOH YOUR HELP!

PLEASE READ THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS CARD FIRST

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS ON WHERE TO FIND THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a combination of digits and letters. It is usually 17 loners and digits long. Hare is an ssarnple of what the 

VIN may look like:

1FABP28A6FF143890 

The Vehicle Identification Number may be found in a number of places:

a. On the vehicle.

Look for a small metal label that can bo rend while sundlng outside the vehicle.

Look for the label on the driver's side of the dashboard, or on tha window post.

Sometimes it is on the driver's door, 

b. On the motor vehicle registration certificate, 

c. On an insurance card or insumncs policy for the vehicle, 

d. On the vehicle title.

e. On a State safety or emissions inspection certificate. 

f. On the bill of sale for tha vehicle.

Caution ... The Vehicle Identification Number is usually not found on your driver's license or on the vehicle license plates.

Once you have located the Vehicle Identification Number, copy it down on the VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER CARD exactly as it appears on the 

vehicle, or on the document you are using.

For the sample VIN given above, wg would write:

VIN: _L JL .A. JL JL JL JL A JLJLJL-L _i. 3 8 9 

We have sent you one VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER CARD preprinted for each vehicla in tha household except for vehicles whose 

Identlftcation Numbers you have already provided to us.

In addition, one extra VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER CARD was sent to you. If your household now owns or regularly uses a vehicle thai we did 

not ««n<J a VIN CARD for, please usa the extra card for this vehicle, and fill in tha TYPE. YEAR, MAKE and MODEL NAME on the card label.

1991 RTECS Beginning-of-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 16

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-35
instruction Paye

EIA-S76A (1991) FORM APPROVAL

OMB NO: 1905-WW8 

EXPIRES: 9/JO/93

1991 RESmENTIAL TRANSPORTATION ENERGY CONSUMPTION SURVEY

HOW TO USE THE ENCLOSED CARDS 

Please read this first -- before filling out any cards

1. We have two different types of cards:

a BEGINNING-OF-YEAR ODOMETER CARDS

and 

B VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) CARDS

2. The label in the upper right-hand corner of each of these cards identifies which 

vehicle that card is for. For each vehicle that you have told us about, we have 

filled in this label with the MAKE, MODEL, YEAR and TYPE for that vehicle.

We have also sent you one ODOMETER CARD and one VEHICLE 

IDENTIFICATION CARD, where this label was left blank. Set these two blank 

cards aside for now.

3. For each ODOMETER CARD labeled for your vehicle, please fill out by 

following the instructions on the card.

4. We have sent you a VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VINt CARD 

labeled for each vehicle, only in the event that we still need the Vehicle 

Identification Number for that Vehicle. (In some cases the VIN was unavailable 

at the time we last contacted you, and in other cases the VIN was transcribed 

incorrectly by our interviewer.) The VIN contains information on engine 

specifications which helps us to estimate fuel economy. Please fill out according 

to the instructions on the card.

5. The blank ODOMETER and VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER CARDS 

are for any vehicle you may have acquired since we last contacted you. Because 

we were unaware of this newly acquired vehicle, we did not fill out the cards 

labels specifying MAKE, MODEL, YEAR and TYPE of vehicle. Please fill out 

the labels and other information on these two cards for any newly acquired 

vehicles.

Thank you very much.

1991 RTECS Beginning-of-Year Interviewer instructions, Page 17

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-3S
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Vehicle Mites Traveled (thousands)

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do
Form E1A-876A (1991)

jsBptten Survey Foi-o] Approval: 

OMB No. 190S-00& 

Exnirra: 900/93

CALL

f?

1

CALL RECORD

DAY OF 

WEEK DATE TIME

CALL RESULT CODE

0 

B T

U D H R* 

S A N R L I E E C 

YMAABSRF M

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8"" 1

INTERJU1H£B_

NOTES, INCLUDING: 

o Contact person 

o Best time for callback 

o Appointments 

o REFUSALS*

(REMEMBER TO WRITE E.S.T. FOR ALL 

T1HES RECORDEBJ _______ ___

6 7 8*

12345678*

1 2 3 S 6 7 84

1 Z 3 5678*

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8*

1 Z 3 4 5 6 7 8*

1 ?. 3 4 S 6 7 8*

* IMPORTANT: ALL REFUSALS SHOULD BE 1) SPECIFIED AS "HARD" OR "SOFT," AND

2) DESCRIBED (WRITE REASONS AND STATEMENT.)

ASK FIRST TO SPEAK WITH THE PERSON WHOSE NAME APPEARS ON THE LABEL. IF HE/SHE IS UNAVAILABLE, THE 

INTERVIEW MAY BE COMPLETED WITH A SPOUSE OR OTHER KNOWLEDGEABLE MEMBER OF THE HOUSEHOLD.

Hello, this is calling from Response Analysis Corporation in Princeton, New Jersey. We recently sent

a letter about a special study that the U.S. Department of Energy has asked us to do on energy use for household vehicles.

IF ASKED ABOUT CONFIDENTIALITY, READ:

This survey is voluntary and authorized under the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), 

as amended. Information about specific households will be kept strictly confidential. The data will be screened to 

protect the identity of individual households, and summarized within large groupings for statistical purposes.

1991 RTECS Operation;; Manual/Appendix A-3f-
EIA-S76A

Al. First, I would like to check that we have your correct mailing address. 

Is it . . . ? (READ ADDRESS SHOWN ON LABEL)

[ ] YES -- CONTINUE WITH A2 

[ ] NO ——

ALA IF MAILING ADDRESS IS INCORRECT, WRITE IN THE CORRECT ADDRESS BELOW: 

Street Address: _____________________________ Apt. #__________ 

City, State: ____________________________________ ZIP: ___________

ALB When did you move to (ADDRESS NOTED ABOVE)? 

Month and Year:

A2. Within the last couple of weeks, we mailed you some cards for recording the total mileage or odometer reading(s) for your 

vehicle(s) -- and also for recording the Vehicle Identification Number(s).

A2.A Did you receive the cards?

[ ] YES - CONTINUE WITH QUESTION A2.B 

[ ] NO » SKIP TO QUESTION A3.

TRY TO GET RESPONDENT TO VISIT VEHICLE(S) FOR ODOMETER 

READING(S) AND VIN(S) WHILE YOU WAIT.

ARRANGE FOR CALLBACK IF NECESSARY.

IF "YES" FOR Q. A2.A, ASK:

A2.B Have you filled out these cards yet?

[ ] YES - CONTINUE WITH QUESTION A2.C 

[ ] NO - SKIP TO QUESTION A3.

TRY TO GET RESPONDENT TO VISIT VEHICLE(S) FOR ODOMETER 

READING(S) AND VIN(S) WHILE YOU WATT.

ARRANGE FOR CALLBACK IF NECESSARY.

IF "YES" FOR Q. A2.B, ASK:

A2.C Can you bring these cards to the phone?

[ ] YES - SKIP TO QUESTION A3. 

[ ] NO -- SKIP TO QUESTION A3.

TRY TO GET RESPONDENT TO VISIT VEHICLE(S) FOR ODOMETER 

READING(S) AND VIN(S) WHILE YOU WAIT.

ARRANGE FOR CALLBACK IF NECESSARY.

IF RESPONDENT SAYS HOUSEHOLD "Has no vehicles" or "Doesn't havs vehicles you sent cards for" then:

SKIP TO QUESTION Cl (GREEN PAGES) IF FOLD-OUT PAGE SHOWS NO VEHICLES.

or

SKIP TO QUESTION A3 IF FOLD-OUT PAGE SHOWS 1 OR MORE VEHICLES. FOR VEHICLES RESPONDENT 

CLAIMS HE/SHE NO LONGER HAS, SAY YOU JUST WANT TO VERIFY SOME INFORMATION FOR THE 

RECORD.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-3S
EIA-S76A 

(1991) Time began 

Q. A3

USE WHITE PAGES FOR VEHICLES #1 - #4 OF FOLD-OUT PAGE 

IF NO VEHICLE IS LISTED ON FOLD-OUT PAGE, SKIP TO Q. Cl

ASK ALL QUESTIONS FOR VEHICLE 

FIRST, THEN GO TO 

VEHICLE 3, AND VEHICLE 4

A3. I have a description of the vehicie(s) mentioned at the time of our 

most recent contact with your household. I would like to verify 

(this/these) descriptions with you.

Do you still have:

(DESCRIBE VEHICLE AS LISTED ON

COMPUTER FOLD-OUT PAGE)

YES 

(Go to Q. A4)

NO

(Go to Q. Bl 

on blue page)

NEVER HAD 

(Go to next vehicle)

IF "YES" FOR Q. A3., ASK:

A4. Have I described it correctly?

(IF NO, CORRECT COMPUTER FOLD-OUT. 

ALSO TRY TO OBTAIN MISSING YEAR, 

MAKE OR MODEL.)

YES

NO

A5. What was the odometer reading (total mileage) MILES

that you recorded on the Odometer Card that 

we sent you? 

(READ BACK TO VERIFY) DONT KNOW

A6. Was the mileage recorded on (DATE

SPECIFIED ON COMPUTER FOLD-OUT)?

YES

NO

DONT KNOW

IF "NO" FOR Q. A6., ASK:

ot) it Ltvuiucu:

DONT KNOW

#1

1

0

8

1

0

6

1

0

6

6

Vehicle IS

#2

1

0

8

1

0

6

1

0

6

6

rumber

#3

1

0

8

1

0

6

1

0

6

6

#4

1

0

8

1

0

6

1

0

6

6

1981 RTECS Operations Manual/Append!:: A-40
EIA-876A 

(1991) INTERVIEWER: REMIND RESPONDENT WHICH VEHICLE YOU ARE DISCUSSING. 

E.G., FORD LTD, DODGE PICKUP, ETC.

IF VIN ABSENT FROM COMPUTER FOLDjOUT_ASK:

AS. What is the Vehicle Identification Number?

(HAVE RESPONDENT READ THIS FROM THE VIN CARD FOR THAT VEHICLE. READ BACK TO VERIFY.)

V

E

H

I

1

E

N

II

M

F

1

2

3

4

VIN:

VIN REFUSED

VIN:

VIN REFUSED

VIN:

VIN REFUSED

VIN:

VIN REFUSED

[] VIN NOT OBTAINED []

[] VIN NOT OBTAINED []

[] VIN NOT OBTAINED []

[] VIN NOT OBTAINED [] __

INTERVIEWER: Describe respondent reason or reaction for refusing VIN.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-41
EIA-876A 

(1991) INTERVIEWER: REMIND RESPONDENT VEHICLE YOU ARE DISCUSSING. 

E.G., FORD LTD, DODGE PICKUP, ETC.

A10. How many cylinders does the engine 

have?

A9. Does it have an automatic transmission or AUTOMATIC 

a manual shift?

MANUAL SHIFT

DONT KNOW

3-CYLINDER

4-CYLINDER

5-CYLINDER

6-CYLINDER 

8-CYLINDER

OTHER 

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

Ul. Does it have front-wheel, rear-wheel or FRONT-WHEEL 

4-wheel drive?

(IF RESPONDENT SAYS COMBINATION REAR-WHEEL 

THAT INCLUDES 4-WHEEL DRIVE, 

MARK "4-WHEEL") 4-WHEEL

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

LITERS 

CUBIC INCHES

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

YES 

NO

DONT KNOW

A12. What is the engine size in liters or 

cubic inches? For example, engine 

size can range from 1 liter to 7

liters.

A13. Does it have air-conditioning?

(MARK "YES" EVEN IF IT DOES NOT 

WORK OR IS NOT USED)

Vehicle Number

#1 

_J

I

2

6

3

4

5

6

8

21

96

1

2

3

5

6

995

996

1

0

6

#2 #3 #4

1

7/-

6

>

4

5

6

8

21

96

t 

X

2

3

5

6

995

996

1

0

6

1

2

1i

2

6 6

T. " !

4

5

6

8

21

96

1

2

3

5

6

995

996

1

0

6

3

4

5

6

8

21

96

1

2

3

5

6

995 

996

1

0

6

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-42
EIA-876A 

(1991) INTERVIEWER: REMIND RESPONDENT WHICH VEHICLE YOU AHE DISCUSSING. 

KG., FORD LTD, DOI^&E PICKUP, ETC.

A14. Does the fuel system use a carburetor, 

fuel injection, or is it a diesel engine?

A15. During the past year did you purchase 

mostly gasoline, diesel, ethano! blend, 

or another type of fuel for this vehicle? 

(ANOTHER NAME FOR ETHANOL 

BLEND IS GASOHOL. OTHER 

TYPES OF FUEL COULD BE 

COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS 

(CNG).)

* 16. IF "GASOLINE", "ETHANOL BLEND", 

OR "OTHER" ASK ______

During the past year, did you use 

mostly leaded or unleaded gasoline 

in this vehicle?

A17. IF "UNLEADED" ASK:

During the past year, did you use 

mostly regular or premium gasoline 

in this vehicle -- or some grade 

in between regular and premium? 

(AN IN-BETWEEN GRADE MAY 

BE CALLED "MIDGRADE," 

"INTERMEDIATE,11 OR "PLUS")

CARBURETOR

FUEL INJECTION

DIESEL

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

GASOLINE 

DIESEL

ETHANOL BLEND

OTHER

(Specify)

DON'T KNOW

LEADED 

UNLEADED

OTHER

(Specify)

DON'T KNOW

REGULAR

PREMIUM

MIDGRADE

OTHER

(Specify)

DON'T KNOW

•#1

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

Vehicle N

#2

i

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

5

6

i

2

3

5

6

jaiber

#3

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

#4

1

2

3

5

6

I

2

3

5

6

1

2

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-43
E LA-876 A

(1991) INTERVIEWER: REMIND RESPONDENT WHICH VEHICLE YOU ARE DISCUSSING. 

E.G, FORD LTD, DODGE PICKUP, ETC.

A18. When you bought fuel for this vehicle 

during the past year, did you generally 

use full-service pumps or self-service 

pumps for most purchases? 

(RECORD MINI-SERVICE AS 

SELF-SERVICE.)

A19. What was the price per gallon the 

last time you purchased fuel for 

this vehicle?

A20. What kind of fuel was purchased at 

that time? Diesel, unleaded regular, 

premium — or some grade 

in between regular and premium? 

(RECORD LEADED REGULAR 

AS "OTHER". AN IN-BETWEEN 

GRADE MAY BE CALLED 

"MIDGRADE," "INTERMEDIATE," 

OR "PLUS")

A21. Which of the following best describes 

the type of driving conditions for this 

vehicle ...

Mostly stop and go traffic? 

Mostly open road driving? 

Or some combination of these?

A22. What is your best estimate of the usual 

miles per gallon for this vehicle?

FULL-SERVICE

SELF-SERVICE 

(Includes Mini-Service)

BOTH EQUALLY

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

PRICE 

DONT KNOW

DIESEL

UNLEADED REGULAR

PREMIUM

MIDGRADE

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

STOP & GO

OPEN ROAD

COMBINATION

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

MPG

DONT KNOW

#1

I

2

3

5

6

$

6

4

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

6

Vehicle Nt

#2

1

2

3

5

6

$

6

4

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

6

amber

#3

1

2

3

5

6

S

6

4

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

6

#4

1

2

3

5

6

S

6

4

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

6

1891 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-44
EIA-876A 

(1991) INTERVIEWER: REMIND RESPONDENT WHICH VEHICLE YOU ARE DISCUSSING. 

E.G., FORD LTD, DOBGE PICKUP, ETC.

IF "MPG" ANSWER IS GIVEN FOR Q. A22, ASK;

LOG (RECORDS) 

ON-BOARD COMPUTER 

ADVERTISED MPG

A23. Is your estimate for miles per 

gallon ...

From a iog that you keep 

for fuel purchases? 

Or from an on-board computer? 

Or is it the advertised mpg? 

Or just a rough estimate?

A24. What is the age and sex of the household 

member who usually drives this vehicle?

Is this vehicle used for commuting to and 

from work?

IF "YES" FOR Q. A25. ASK:

A26. When the vehicle is driven from 

home to work, about how many 

miles is that, one-way? 

(RECORD MILES FOR 1-WAY, 

NOT ROUND TRIP.)

A27. How many minutes does that 

one-way trip from home to 

work usually take?

(RECORD MINUTES FOR 1-WAY, 

NOT ROUND TRIP.)

A28. How many days per week is the 

vehicle used for commuting?

ROUGH ESTIMATE

OTHER

(Specify)

DON'T KNOW

AGE

FEMALE

MALE

DON'T KNOW AGE 

DONT KNOW SEX

YES 

NO 

DONT KNOW

MILES

NO FIXED PLACE 

OF WORK

DONT KNOW 

MINUTES

NO FIXED PLACE 

OF WORK

DONT KNOW 

" DAYS

DON'T KNOW

Vehicle Number

#1

I

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

6

6

1

0

6

5

6

5

6

6

#2

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

6

6

1

0

6

5

6

5

6

6

#3

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

6

6

1

0

6

5

6

5

6

6

#4

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

6

6

1

0

6

5

6

5

6

6

FOR NEXT VEHICLE ON COMPUTER FOLD-OUT PAGE, GO BACK TO QUESTION A3.

AFTER LAST VEHICLE ON COMPUTER FOLD-OUT PAGE, SKIP TO QUESTION C1 ON THE GREEN PAGES.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-45
EIA-876A 

(1991)

IF "NO" FOR Q. A3., ASR

Bl. Was this vehicle sold, 

traded in or disposed 

of, or did the owner 

move away?

SOLD, TRADED OR 

DISPOSED OF 

(Go to Q. B2.)

OWNER MOVED AWAY 

(Go to Q. B4.)

DONT KNOW

IF "SOLD/TRADED/DISPOSED" FOR Q. BL, ASK;

B2. In what month and year did you 

dispose of this vehicle?

B3. Approximately, what was the odometer 

reading (total mileage) on the vehicle 

at the time that you sold, traded or 

| disposed of it?

IF "OWNER MOVED AWAY" FOR Q, BL, ASK

MONTH 

YEAR

DONT KNOW MONTH 

DONT KNOW YEAR

MILES

B4. In what month and year did 

owner move away with this 

vehicle?

DONT KNOW

MONTH 

YEAR 

DONT KNOW MONTH

DONT KNOW YEAR

#1

1

2

6

96 

96

6

96

%

Vehicle K

#2 I

1

2

6

96 

96

6

96 

96

usaber

#3 1

1

2

6

96 

96

6

96 

96

#4

1

2 

6

96 

96

6

96 

96

o FOR NEXT VEHICLE'ON COMPUTER FOLD-OUT PAGE, GO BACK TO QUESTION A3.

» AFTER LAST VEHICLE ON COMPUTER FOLD-OUT PAGE, SKIP TO QUESTION Cl ON THE GREEN PAGES.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appandix A-Afl
EIA-876A 

(1991)

section C: Acquired Vehiele Stock Questions

Cl. Do you or other members of your household 

own or have for your persona! use any cars, 

trucks, vans, or similar vehicles, in addition 

to (DESCRIBE VEHICLES LISTED ON 

COMPUTER FOLD-OUT PAGE, EXCEPT 

FOR VIN)?

(DO NOT MENTION AGAIN ANY 

VEHICLES THEY NO LONGER HAVE.)

IF "YES," ASK:

i YES

0 NO

6 DONT KNOW

TO Q. Dl 

(yellow page)

C2. How many additional vehicles 

do you have?

1 ONE ——————

2 TWO

3 THREE

4 FOUR OR MORE

6 DONT KNOW __

-) ASK Q. C3

IF "ONE OR MORE VEHICLES" ON Q. C2, 

ASK Q. C3 FOR EACH ADDITIONAL 

VEHICLE, AND THEN ASK Q. C4 FOR 

EACH ADDITIONAL VEHICLE.

C3. Please tell me the make, model name 

and year (of each one).

C4. What type of vehicle is the 

(READ: YEAR, MAKE, 

MODEL-FROM Q. C3.) 

(READ CATEGORIES TO 

RESPONDENT IF NECESSARY.)

MAKE

MODEL NAME 

MODEL YEAR 

DONT KNOW MAKE 

DONT KNOW MODEL 

DONT KNOW YEAR

PASSENGER CAR 

STATION WAGON 

LARGE VAN 

MINI VAN 

PICKUP TRUCK 

JEEP OR SIMILAR VEHICLE

OTHER 

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

Vehicle Number

#A

19

6

6

96

1

3

4

5

6

7

21

96

#B

19

6

6

96

1

3

4

5

6

7

21

96

#C

19

6

6

96

1

3

4

5

6

7

21

96

#D

19

6

6

96

1

2

4

5

6

7

21

96

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

Q. C3 — A model name may consist of several parts -- be sure to gel the complete name. Here are some examples, where the complete model

name is in parentheses: Ford (Galaxic), Chevrolet (V-1Q Suburban), GMC (V-15 Gimmy), Toyota (2WD Cargo Van). If respondent

docs nol know the name of a truck, probe for size (1/2 ton, 3/4 toil, etc).

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-47
EIA-876A 

(1991)

ASK Q. C5 - C30 FOR VEHICLE A FIRST, 

THEN GO TO VEHICLE B, VEHICLE C, AND 

VEHICLE D

C5. In what month and year did you get this 

vehicle?

(READ: YEAR, MAKE, MODEL 

FROM-Q. C3)

C6. Do you happen to know the total mileage 

(odometer) reading after the last use of the 

vehicle on (DATE FROM COMPUTER 

FOLD-OUT)?

IF "YES," ASK;

C7. What was the mileage as of (DATE FROIv 

COMPUTER FOLD-OUT)?

IF "NO," ASK:

C8. Do you know the mileage 

as of a different date?

C9. Do you know the Vehicle Identification 

Number for this vehicle?

IF "YES," ASK:

„„ 1

,',, 1

ID j

1

MONTH

YEAR

DON'T KNOW MONTH

DONT KNOW YEAR

YES

he

NO

FROM MILES

NO

YES

DATE

MILES

YES

NO

#A

19

96

96

\_

0

0

1

1

0

K

#B

19

96

96

1

0

_ 

0

I

1

0

umber

#C

19

96

96

1

0

0

1

1

0

I

}

#0 j

I

19

96

96

I

0

0

1

1

0

CIO. V

V 

E 

H

1 

C 

I

E

N 

U

M

B

e

R

1NTERV

/hat is the Vehicle Identification Number for this vehicle? TO VERIFY WITH RESPONDENT)

1

2

3

4

VIN:

VTN REFUSED [] fj

VIN:

VIN REFUSED (J []

VIN:

VIN REFUSED [] VIN NOT OBTAINED f]

VIN:

VIN REFUSED [] VIN NOT OBTAINED []

!EWER: Describe respondent reason or reaction for refusing V1N.

1991 RTEC8 Manual/Appendix A-48
E1A-S76A

(1991) INTERVIEWER: REMIND RESPONDENT WHICH VEHICLE YOU ARE DISCUSSING. 

E.G., FORD LTD, DODGE PICKUP, ETC.

Cll. Does it have an automatic transmission or

a manual shift?

C1Z How many cylinders does the engine 

have?

CIS. Does it have front-wheel, rear-wheel or 

4-wheel drive?

(IF RESPONDENT SAYS COMBINATION 

THAT INCLUDES 4-WHEEL DRIVE,

MARK n4-WHEELn)

C14. What is the engine size in liters or

cubic inches? For example, engine 

size can range from 1 liter to 7

liters.

CIS. Does it have air-conditioning? 

(MARK "YES" EVEN IF U DOES NOT 

WORK OR IS NOT USED)

i

AUTOMATIC

MANUAL SHIFT

DONT KNOW

3-CYLINDER

4-CYLINDER

5-CYLINDER

6-CYLINDER

8-CYLINDER

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

FRONT-WHEEL

REAR-WHEEL 

4-WHEEL

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

LITERS

CUBIC INCHES

OTHER 

(Specify)

DON'T KNOW

YES 

NO

DONT KNOW

#A

1

2

6

3

4

5

6

8

21

96

1

2 

3

5

6

995

996

1 

0

6

Vehicle N

#B

1

2

6

3

4

5

6

8

21

96

1

2 

3

5

6

995

996

1 

0

6

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-49
EIA-876A 

(1991) INTERVIEWER:

E.G.,

RESPONDENT. WHICH VEHICLE YOU DISCUSSING.

LTD, DODGE PICKUP, ETC

C16. Does the fuel system use a carburetor, 

fuel injection, or is it a diesel engine?

C17. Do you generally purchase mostly gasoline, 

diesel, ethanol blend, or another type of 

fuel for this vehicle? 

(ANOTHER NAME FOR ETHANOL 

BLEND IS GASOHOL. OTHER 

TYPES OF FUEL COULD BE 

COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS 

(CNG).)

CIS. IF "GASOLINE", "ETHANOL BLEND", 

OR "OTHER" ASK:

Do you generally use mostly leaded 

or unleaded gasoline in this vehicle?

C19. IF "UNLEADED" ASK:

Do you generally use mostly regular

or premium gasoline in this vehicle -

or some grade in between regular and

premium?

(AN IN-BETWEEN GRADE MAY

BE CALLED "MIDGRADE,"

"INTERMEDIATE," OR "PLUS")

CARBURETOR

FUEL INJECTION

DIESEL

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

GASOLINE 

DIESEL

ETHANOL BLEND

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

LEADED 

UNLEADED

OTHER 

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

REGULAR

PREMIUM

MIDGRADE

OTHER 

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

#A

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

Vehicle N

#B

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

j nates?

#C

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

#D

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-50
EIA-876A INTERVIEWER: RESPONDENT VEHICLE YOU ARE DISCUSSING. 

KG., LTD, DODGE PICKUP, ETC.

C20. When you buy fuel for this vehicle, 

do you generally use foil-service 

pumps or self-service pumps for 

most purchases?

(RECORD MINI-SERVICE AS 

SELF-SERVICE.)

C21. What was the price per gallon the 

last time you purchased fuel for 

this vehicle?

FULL-SERVICE

SELF-SERVICE 

(Includes Mini-Service)

BOTH EQUALLY

OTHER

(Specify)

DON'T KNOW

PRICE

DONT KNOW

C22. What kind of fuel was purchased at 

that time? Diesel, unleaded regular, 

premium - or some grade 

in between regular and premium? 

(RECORD LEADED REGULAR 

AS "OTHER". AN IN-BETWEEN 

GRADE MAY BE CALLED "MIDGRADE," 

"INTERMEDIATE,11 OR "PLUS")

C23. Which of the following best describes 

the type of driving conditions for this 

vehicle ...

Mostly stop and go traffic? 

Mostly open road driving? 

Or some combination of these?

C24. What is your best estimate of the usual 

miles per gallon for this vehicle?

DIESEL

UNLEADED REGULAR

PREMIUM 

MIDGRADE

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

STOP & GO

OPEN ROAD

COMBINATION

OTHER 

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

MPG 

DONT KNOW

Vehicle Number

#A

1

2

3

5

6

$

6

4

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

6

#B

1

2

3

5

6

$ .

6

4

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

6

#C

1

2

3

5

6

$

6

4

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

6

#D

1

2

3

5

6

$ .

6

4

1

2

3

5

6

1

2

3

5

6

6

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-51
EIA-876A 

(1991) INTERVIEWER: RESPONDENT VEHICLE YOU ARE DISCUSSING. 

E.G., FORD LTD, DODGE ETC.

IF "MPG" ANSWER IS GIVEN FOR Q.. C24,ASK

LOG (RECORDS) 

ON-BOARD COMPUTER 

ADVERTISED MPG

C25. Is your estimate for miles per 

gallon ...

From a log that you keep 

for fuel purchases? 

Or from an on-board computer? 

Or is it the advertised mpg? 

Or just a rough estimate?

C26. What is the age and sex of the household 

member who usually drives this vehicle?

C27. Is this vehicle used for commuting to and 

from work?

IF "YES" FOR Q. C27, ASK:

C28. When the vehicle is driven from 

home to work, about how many 

miles is that, one-way? 

(RECORD MILES FOR 1-WAY, 

NOT ROUND TRIP.)

C29. How many minutes does that 

one-way trip from home to 

work usually take?

(RECORD MINUTES FOR 1-WAY, 

NOT ROUND TRIP.)

C30. How many days per week is the 

vehicle used for commuting?

ROUGH ESTIMATES

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

AGE 

FEMALE 

MALE

DONT KNOW AGE 

DON'T KNOW SEX

YES 

NO 

DONT KNOW

MILES

NO FIXED PLACE 

OF WORK

DON'T KNOW

MINUTES

NO FIXED PLACE 

OF WORK

DONT KNOW 

DAYS

DONT KNOW

INTERVIEWER: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ASKED THE FULL SET OF GREEN-PAGE QUESTIONS 

(Q's. C3-C30) FOR EACH ADDITIONAL VEHICLE THE RESPONDENT TOLD YOU ABOUT IN 

QUESTION C2. THEN CONTINUE WITH QUESTION Dl (YELLOW PAGE).

Vehicle Number

#A

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

6

6

1

0

6

5

6

5

6

6

#B

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

6

6

1

0

6

5

6

5

6

6

#C

I

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

6

6

1

0

6

5

6

5

6

6

#D

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

6

6

1

0

6

5

6

5

6

6

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-52
EIA-876A 

(1991)

Dl. Is there a possibility that your household 

will move any time within the next 12 

months?

1 YES, DEFINITELY2 POSSIBLY _____

0 NO ——————

Go to Q. D2

Go to D4

IF "YES" OR "POSSIBLY," ASK:

D2. Do you happen to know when you (are/ 

might be) moving?

D3. Do you happen to know what your new 

address will be?

NAME:

STREET:

CITY/STATE:

PHONE:_________ 

__ (Area Code)

MONTH/DAY/YEAR,

APPROXIMATE TIME PERIOD, 

DONT KNOW

ZIP CODE:

D4. Thank you very much for helping us with this survey.

We will be contacting you at the end of the year to obtain foilowup odometer reading(s) for your vehicle(s). 

Have a nice day/evening.

AM 

PM

(Interviewer) (Date Completed) (Time Completed)

INTERVIEWER NOTES:

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-53
HHID;; lip

DATE SPECIFIED FOR ODOMETER READINGS

AFTER LAST USE OF VEHICLE (S) OH;; JAN, 14, 1991

VEHICLE DATA TO BE MENTIONED IN QUESTION A3;;

VEHICLE- i*

TYPE

YEAR

MAKE

MODEL NAI1E

(VIM) 

VEHICLE 

IDENTIF.. 

NUMBER

i

! VEHICLE: #

i

i

i

! TYPE

i

i 

! YEAR

!

! MAKE 

i

i

! MODEL NAME 

i

i 

! (VI.N) 

VEHICLE 

! IDENTTF.. 

1 NUMBER

1

PASSENGER CAR

19 75

BUICK

REGAL.

WE HAVE VI N 

DO MOT ASK VIM

3

' 

i

i

i

! 

1 

1

1 

1

i

2 !

i

i

i 

i 

i

i 

i 

i

i 

i 

i

i 

i 

i

i 

i 

i 

i 

i 

i

i 

4 i

!

1

! 

1 

1

1 

i 

1

1 

1 

i

! 

1 

1

1 

I 

1 

/ 

I 

1

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-54
HHID::

RATE SPECIFIED FOR ODOMETER READINGS

AFTER LAST USE OF VEHICLE(S) ON:: JAW,, 14., 19'-

HOUSEHOLD REPORTED HAVING NO VEHICLES AT THE! Till 

OF THE RECS INTERVIEW,,

ASK QUESTION Al,, AND THEN SKIP TO QUESTION Cl 

(GREEN PAGE) 

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-55
RTECS INTERVIEWERS! 

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU NEED TO

EXPLAIN THE VIN 

(VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER)

o 18I.o'

w

§ Ili:; i|iif|ii|tii|I^^

Q> I-o 

o>

a. -
RT91-19

Use the following if a of the

fuel grade with an for the The

questions this apply to

A-17 A-20

GRADE RATING

REGULAR 85-87

SVIIDGRADE

PREMIUM

88 = 90

91 or higher

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-57
RT91-23 

052191

1991 RTECS

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Open the computer foldout page before you begin coding the questionnaire. You wil! need to 

be sure that ail vehicles listed on the computer foldout page are covered in Q A3.

If you have any problem with a questionnaire, put a yellow tag on it and put it aside for Benny 

or Jim D. - DO NOT AGONIZE OVER PROBLEMS!

After coding a pack of questionnaires, pull all questionnaires with address/phone number 

changes on the call record sheet or on Page 2. Put them in the ADDRESS/PHONE CHANGES 

box. Record the HHiDs of any questionnaires that you remove on the pack card.

PAGE1 

HHID

Circle the household ID number on the address label. 

LENGTH OF INTERVIEW

Zero-fill {if necessary) and circle the length of interview (a two-digit number, in minutes). This 

number is found in the upper-right corner of the page and was almost always recorded in blue 

or black ink.

RESULT CODE

Write this code to the right of the address label.

Review the call record sheet on Page 1 of the questionnaire and the Interviewer Remarks on 

Page 16 before assigning this code.

You should be coding ONLY questionnaires that are result codes 1 or 2. If you have a 

questionnaire with no data or a special situation (e.g., language barrier, deaf, or senile 

respondent, put a yellow tag on it and put it aside for Benny or Jim D.

The following are valid Result Codes.

1 - All or Some Data Collected, Household Status Retained.

All or some data were collected. As a minimum, we should have obtained an up-todate record of vehicles in use by the household OR determined that the household did

not iicsvo a vci iiuits ai tut* uiiio Oi ouniaoi. it is tiOi i foocosaiy tu c?vcuucut> me i_|uaiuy ui

completeness of the information collected.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual I Appendix A-58
Household status retained means that, as far as we know, the telephone number on 

the household address labei is still good and that the household has not toid us to 

stop calling them.

2 ~ All or Some Data Acquired, Household Status Changed.

All or some data were collected (see description under Code 1).

Household status changed means that the telephone number on the household 

address label is no longer good OR that the household has told us to stop calling 

them OR some other situation exists that would make it difficult or impossible to 

contact the household using the telephone number on the household address label.

Some examples of when Code 2 would be used include:

• After 6 calls, during which most information was obtained, the 7th call 

resulted in a disconnect. No new telephone number is obtained.

« The questionnaire shows that some information was collected. The call 

record sheet, however, indicates that the respondent said "Don't ever call 

me again."

5 - No Data Collected, NOT a Refusal.

This code applies to a wide range of cases. For telephone households (those for 

whom we attempted a telephone contact), use this code if an interview was not 

completed for any reason other than a refusal. The reasons could include:

disconnected or wrong telephone number

never got an answer (includes answering machines)

language barrier

respondent was away

never spoke with a knowledgeable person

For households without a telephone (for whom the contact was attempted by mail), 

use this code if completed survey materials were not returned.

6 - No Data Collected, Soft Refusal.

This code is used when a telephone contact was made with the household, no data 

were collected, but the respondent did not strongly refuse to provide the information 

requested. This code applies, for example, when the respondent seemed as if he or 

she was making excuses for not completing the interview or when he or she made 

apologetic statements when refusing io pai tiuipaie.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-59
Consult tile call record sheet on Page 1 and the Interviewer Remarks on Page 16 to 

help determine whether this code appiies. Every refusal must be classified as either 

"soft" or "hard." Note that the call record sheet may indicate that the interview is a 

"refusal" when, in fact, it may be a complete.

7 - No Data Collected, Hard Refusal

Use this code if a telephone contact was made with the household, no data were 

collected, and the respondent strongly refused to answer the questions, hung up, told 

us never to call again, or made some similarly forceful statement.

Consult the call record sheet on Page 1 and Interviewer Remarks on Page 16 to 

determine whether this code applies.

PAGE 2

Q A1 - Valid codes are 0 and 1.

Write code to the right of the YES/NO boxes.

• Code a 0 if an address change(s) is indicated anywhere in the questionnaire. Address 

corrections are usually found in the box on Page 2, on the household address label 

at the top of Page 1.

• Code a 1 if no address corrections are indicated. You will usually code a 1.

Q A2.A - Valid codes are 0 and 1.

Write the code to the right of the text of Q A2.A.

• Code a 1 if the YES box has been checked.

• Otherwise code a 0.

Note: Pay no attention to whether any of the remaining answer categories have been checked 

or not. Also, ignore any interviewer notes that may be written here.

PAGE 3

CODE TOTAL VEHICLES FROM COMPUTER PAGE

Before you begin coding this page you must determine the total number of vehicles for which 

Q A3 should have been answered. This is the number of vehicles described on the computergenerated foldout page.

Enter the count of vehicles above the title, "Section A: Current Vehicle Stock Questions." Circle 

this number.

Q A3 - Valid codes are 0,1, and 8.

• rf no answer to Q A3 and Qs A4 - A28 are answered, code a 1 (YES).

• If no answer to Q A3 and Qs B1 - B4 are answered, code a 0 (NO).

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-60
Interviewers wiil sometimes under the wrong vehicle column; e.g., vehicle #2 may 

be NO on Q A3, but the to Qs B1 - B4 are recorded for vehicle #1 instead of vehicle 

#2. When this occurs, draw a vertical line through the answer section for the wrong vehicle and 

enter the answers in correct column for that vehicle. If the page is a mess, copy it over on a 

fresh page.

Put a yellow tag on the if you encounter unusual situations not covered above.

Caution: If the answer to G A3 is YES, Qs B1 - B4 must not be answered for that vehicle. !f the 

answer to Q A3 is NO, Qs A4 - A28 must not be answered for that vehicle.

Qs A4-A28

Only edit/code these questions if Q A3 is YES for that particular vehicle. These questions are 

to be skipped for any vehicle for which Q A3 is NO or NEVER HAD. Edit out the answers to Qs 

A4 - A28 for any vehicles that the household never owned or no longer has.

Q A4 - Valid codes are 0 and 1.

• Code a 0 (NO) if there is any change (corrected or better description) for that vehicle. 

The change may be on the computer foldout page or marked on this page of the 

questionnaire. Most of the changes have be made on the foldout page.

• Otherwise, code a 1 (YES).

QA5

The total vehicle mileage (odometer reading) must be a six-digit number.

• Code leading zeros if necessary.

• Edit out tenths of a mile.

« Leave the odometer reading blank when:

• No mileage is given.

• Mileage is given, but there is a note that the odometer is broken or that the 

odometer reading is an estimate.

If 6 (DONT KNOW) has been circled, edit out the 6 and code MILES as 999996. 

Qs A6 - A7

• • tf Q A5 (MILES) is blank, these questions must be blank.

• If Q A5 (MILES) is a legitimate odometer reading (not blank), Q A6 must be answered.

Q A6 - Valid codes are 0, 1, 6, and 8.

• If Q A6 is YES but Q A7 is answered with a month and day other than the ones

indicated on the computer foldout page or address label, edit Q A6 to NO. 

» Code 8 if NO ANSWER.

Q A7

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-61
Leave this question blank if Q A6 is YES, DONT KNOW, or NO ANSWER.

Code MONTH and DAY onjy_.

Code MONTH as a two-digit number; i.e., January = 01, etc.

Code DAY as a two-digit number; i.e., 01, 02, ... 31.

• If the date provided is the same as the target date on the computer foldout page, edit

Q A6 to YES and edit out the answer to Q A7. 

« Unknown MONTH/known DAY combination - NOT Valid.

• Known MONTH/unknown DAY combination - Valid; code MONTH appropriately and 

code DAY as 98.

• It DONT KNOW is checked, code MONTH as 96 and DAY as 96.

• If NO ANSWER, code MONTH as 98 and DAY as 98.

PAGE 4 

QA8

Consult the foldout page while coding this question.

• If foldout page shows the message - WE HAVE VIN, DO NOT ASK VIM - then leave 

VIN space blank (edit out VIN if one was provided).

• If foldout page shows either of the messages - ASK FOR VIN or VIM INCORRECTLY 

RECORDED, ASK FOR VIN -- and the interviewer has recorded a VIN, edit the VIN if 

necessary:

• Left adjust the VIN - if the VIN is less than 17 characters, make sure it begins in 

the left-most space and that the right-most spaces are blank.

• If the VIN is longer than 17 characters, delete the right-most digits and letters until

the VIN is exactly 17 characters.

9 If foldout page shows a message to ASK VIN and a VIN was not recorded: 

« Leave the VIN blank.

• If the VIN was left blank because it was refused - that is, the interviewer has 

indicated somewhere in the questionnaire that the respondent has refused to give 

the VIN - code and circle a 1 to the right of the VIN REFUSED box.

PAGES

Q A9 - Valid codes are 1,2,6, and 8.

• Code 8 for NO ANSWER. 

Q A10 - Valid codes are 03, 04, 05, 06, 08, 09, 96, and 98.

• Code 09 for ROTARY.

• Code 98 for NO ANSWER.

Note: If OTHER, put a yellow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D. 

0 A11 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8.

• Code 8 if NO ANSWER.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-62
Sf OTHER, put a yellow tag on the hold it for Benny or Jim D. 

Q A12

Code LITERS and CUBIC INCHES as two separate questions.

Code both LiTERS and CUBIC INCHES onfe if you are coding 996 or 998.

• If LITERS is answered:

• Most answers should fall between 1 and 7, and may Include one decimal place. 

9 Multiply LITERS by 10 and code a leading zero (i.e., 4.1 becomes 041, 6 

becomes 060, etc.).

• If CUBIC INCHES is answered:

• Code this as a three-digit number. Most answers should fall between 100 and 

450. Add a leading zero if necessary.

• ff DONT KNOW, code 996 for LITERS and code 996 for CUBIC INCHES.

• If NO ANSWER, code 998 for LITERS and code 998 for INCHES.

Mote: If OTHER, put a yellow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D, 

Q A13 - Valid codes are 0,1,6, and 8.

« Code 8 if NO ANSWER. 

PAGES 

Q A14 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8.

• Code 8 If NO ANSWER.

Note: If OTHER, put a yellow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D. 

QA15 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.

• Code 4 for PROPANE.

• Code 8 if NO ANSWER.

Note: If OTHER, put a yellow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D.

Q A16 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 6, and 8.

Qs A16 and A17 must be blank if Q A15 is (2), DONT KNOW (6), or NO ANSWER (8).

• Code 8 If NO ANSWER.

Note: If OTHER, put a yeliow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D. 

QA17 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.

« Q A17 should be answered on]}? if Q A16 is UNLEADED.

• If the answer is OTHER and the respondent REGULAR AND PREMIUM ABOUT 

EQUALLY, code a 4.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-63
© Code 8 if NO ANSWER. 

PAGE? 

Q A18 - Valid eodes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.

• If respondent mentions BULK SALES, HOME DELIVERY, or HOME TANK, code a 4. 

If you are unsure about using this code, see Benny or Jim D,

• Code 8 if NO ANSWER.

Note: If OTHER, put a yellow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D.

Q A19

PRICE must be a three-digit number.

« Code a leading zero if PRICE is less than one dollar.

• If 6 (DONT KNOW) is circled, edit out the 6 and code PRICE as 996.

« Code PRICE as 998 if NO ANSWER.

Q A2_0 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8.

• Code 7 for PROPANE.

• Code 8 if NO ANSWER.

Note: If OTHER, put a yellow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D. 

Q A21 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8.

• Code 8 if NO ANSWER.

Note: If OTHER, put a yellow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D. 

QA22 

MILES PER GALLON must be two-digit number.

• Cod© a leading zero if necessary.

• If a range is given, calculate the midpoint of the range and round the answer.

• Round fractions to the nearest even number.

• If 6 (DONT KNOW) is circled, edit out the 6 and code MILES PER GALLON as 96.

• Code 98 if NO ANSWER.

PAGES

Q A23 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.

« Q A23 should be answered only if a legitimate miles per gallon was specified in Q A22. 

» Code 8 if NO ANSWER.

Note: If OTHER, put a yellow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D.

f 991 RTECS Operations ManualjAppendix A-64
Q A24 - Valid codes for AGE are 15 - 95, 96, and 98. Valid codes for SEX are 1, 2, 6, and 8.

Code AGE and SEX as two separate questions. 

AGE must be two-digit number.

• if AGE is older than 95, code AGE as 95.

« If 6 (DONT KNOW AGE) is circled, edit out the 6 and code AGE as 96.

• Code AGE as 98 if NO ANSWER.

• Code SEX as 8 if NO ANSWER.

Q A25 - Valid codes are 0, 1, 6, and 8.

• Code 8 if NO ANSWER. 

Qs A26 • A28

These questions should be answered only if Q A25 is 1 (YES). 

Leave these questions blank if Q A25 is 0 (NO).

QA26

MILES must be a two-digit number.

Code a leading zero if necessary.

If a range is given, calculate the midpoint of the range and round the answer to the

nearest even number.

if the answer is Jess than one mile, edit MILES to 01.

If MILES are greater than 94, edit MILES to 94.

If 5 (NO FIXED PLACE OF WORK) is circled, edit out the 5 and code MILES as 95.

If 6 (DONT KNOW) is circled, edit out the 6 and code MILES as 96.

Code MILES as 98 if NO ANSWER.

QA27

MINUTES must be a three-digit number.

Code leading zeros if necessary.

If a range is given, calculate the midpoint of the range and round the answer to the

nearest even number.

If answer is given in hours and minutes, calculate total minutes and code that answer.

If 5 (NO FIXED PLACE OF WORK) is circled, edit out the 5 and code MINUTES as 995.

If 6 (DONT KNOW) is circled, edit out the 6 and code MINUTES as 996.

Code MINUTES as 998 if NO ANSWER.

QA28 - Valid codes are 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 96, and 98. 

DAYS must be a two-digit number.

9 Add a leading zero when necessary.

• If 6 (DONT KNOW) is circled, edit out the 6 and code DAYS as 96.

• Code DAYS as 98 if NO ANSWER.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-65
RAGE 9 (Blue)

Watch carefully for information entered in the incorrect column for a deleted vehicle.

QsB1 -B4

These questions should be answered for a vehicle only if Q A3 is answered NO for that vehicle.

Q B1 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 6, and 8.

• If Q B1 Is not answered but Qs B2 - B3 are answered, code Q B1 as 1 (SOLD,

TRADED, or DISPOSED OF). 

© If Q B1 is not answered but Q B4 is answered, code Q 81 as 2 (OWNER MOVED

AWAY).

• ff Q A3 is NO for a vehicle and Qs B1 - B4 are not answered for that vehicle, code Q 

B1 as 8.

Qs B2 and B4 - Valid codes for MONTH are 01 - 05, 09-12, 96, and 98.

Code MONTH and YEAR as two separate questions.

The codes for MONTH and YEAR must be two-digit numbers.

• Unknown MONTH/known YEAR - Code MONTH as 96 {if DONT KNOW) or 98 (NO 

ANSWER) and code YEAR as appropriate.

• Known MONTH/unknown YEAR - If MONTH is 01 - 05, code YEAR as 91. If MONTH 

is 09 -12, code YEAR as 90. If MONTH is 06 - 08 put a yellow tag on the questionnaire 

and hold it for Benny or Jirn D.

• If NO ANSWER for YEAR but an interviewer note says that the vehicle was disposed 

of before this year (e.g., before 1991), code YEAR as 90.

• If DONT KNOW MONTH or DONT KNOW YEAR (96) is circled, edit out the 96(s) and 

code MONTH and/or YEAR as 96.

• If NO ANSWER, code MONTH as 98 and code YEAR as 98.

QB3

Total vehicle mileage (odometer reading) must be a six-digit number.

• Code leading zeros if necessary.

• Leave the odometer reading blank when: 

• No mileage is given 

° Mileage is given, but there is a note that the odometer is broken.

If 6 (DONT KNOW) has been circled, edit out the 6 and code MILES as 999996.

Note: The rules for Q B3 are slightly different than the rules for Q A5. If the respondent gives 

an estimated odometer reading for Q B3, we accept it.

QB4

See instructions for Q B2,

1991 RTECS Operations Manual I Appendix A-66
PAGE 10 (Gm&n)

QC1 - Valid codes are 0, 1, 6, and 8.

If Q C1 is not answered, look at Qs C3 - C30:

• ff no answers are given in Qs C3 - C30 for any vehicle, code Q C1 as 8 and skip Qs 

C3 - C30 for all vehicles.

• If there are answers in Qs C3 - C30 for one or more vehicles, code Q C1 as YES (1).

• Code 8 if NO ANSWER.

QC2 - Valid codes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.

This question is answered only if Q 01 is YES (1); otherwise, this question is blank.

If Q C1 is YES and Q C2 is DONT KNOW (6) or NO ANSWER (8), consult Qs C3 - C30:

» If answers are given for at least one vehicle, edit Q C2 to the number of vehicles for 

which answers are given.

• If there is no vehicle information in Qs C3 - C30, leave these questions blank.

QC3

Code MAKE, MODEL NAME, and MODEL YEAR as three separate questions.

For MAKE and MODEL NAME:

• Leave the names blank if NO ANSWER.

• Use of a maximum of 14 spaces for each name.

• Correct the spelling of the names as necessary and try to catch transpositions of make 

and model. Expand abbreviations of make and/or model if you are sure of what they 

are. For example, "Chev" becomes "Chevrolet," 'Toy" becomes 'Toyota," etc.

• For trucks, the model name will frequently include its tonnage (i.e., "Vz ton"). Include 

that information with the model name if you have space. Write tonnage as "Vz TON," 

not "HALF TON." Remember, use a maximum of 14 spaces.

• If DONT KNOW MAKE and/or DONT KNOW MODEL (6s) is circled, edit out the 6 (s).

For MODEL YEAR:

• Code as a two-digit number.

• If 96 {DONT KNOW) is circled, edit out the 96 and code 96 in the space for MODEL

YEAR 

« Code MODEL YEAR as 98 if NO ANSWER.

QC4 - Valid codes are 01, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 21, 96, and 98.

• Code 98 if NO ANSWER.

Note: If OTHER, put a yellow tag on the questionnaire and hold it for Benny or Jim D. 

PAGE 11 (Green) 

QC5 

See instructions for Q B2.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-67
if NO ANSWER for YEAR but an interviewer note says that the vehicle was acquired 

before this year (e.g., before 1991), code YEAR as 90.

Q C6 - Valid codes are 0

Check consistency among Qs C6, C7, and C8 very carefully.

Note: If Q C6 is YES (1), then Q C7 must have an actual six-digit odometer reading. !f Q C6 

Is YES (1) and Q C7 is blank, edit Q C6 to NO.

QC7

Total mileage (odometer reading) must be a six-digit number.

• Code leading zeros if necessary.

• Edit out tenths of a mile.

© If legitimate mileage is recorded, make sure Q C6 is coded YES (1).

« If the odometer reading is blank, make sure Q C6 is coded NO (0).

• Leave the odometer reading blank when:

• No mileage is given.

a Mileage is given, but there is a note that the odometer is broken or that the 

odometer reading is an estimate.

• If an estimated or "broken" odometer reading is marked in Q C7, cross it out and edit 

Q C6 to NO (0).

QC8

Code YES/NO, DATE, and MILES as three separate questions.

• If YES/NO is not answered but DATE and MILES are answered, code YES/NO as YES. 

« If YES/NO is answered NO, DATE and MILES must be blank.

• If YES/NO is answered YES, both DATE and MILES must be answered and valid, if 

DATE and MILES are not valid, edit YES/NO to NO and edit out the values for DATE 

and MILES.

• If this entire question is not answered, code YES/NO as 8 and leave DATE and MILES 

blank.

• Code DATE as a six-digit number in the format - MMDDYY - where MM is a two-digit 

code for MONTH, DD is a two-digit code for DAY, and W is a two-digit code for YEAR. 

Use leading zeros in the DATE codes if necessary.

• Code MILES as a six-digit number. Code leading zeros if necessary. 

® Leave the odometer reading blank when:

• No mileage is given.

« Mileage is given, but there is a note that the odometer is broken or that the 

odometer reading is an estimate.

• tf an estimated or "broken" odometer reading is marked in Q C8, cross it out and edit 

YES/NO to NO.

Q C9 ~ Valid codes are 0,1, and 8.

• Code 8 if Qs C9 and 010 are not answered.

f991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-68
If Q C9 is NO or NO ANSWER, leave the VIM blank.

• If VIN was refused - that is, the interviewer has indicated somewhere in the 

questionnaire that the respondent has refused to give the VIN: 

Code and circle a 1 to the right of the VIN REFUSED box. 

Q C9 must be NO (0). 

• The VIN must be blank.

• If a VIN is recorded, Q C9 must be YES (1). Edit the VIN as necessary (see 

instructions for Q A8).

• If Q C9 is YES but the VIN is missing, edit Q C9 to NO. Code VIN REFUSED as 1, if 

appropriate.

PAGE 12 (Green)

Qs C1.1..- CIS - See instructions for Qs A9 - A13 on Page 5.

PAGE 13 (Green)

Qs C16-C19 - See instructions for Qs A14 - A17 on Page 6.

PAGE 14 (Green)

Qs C20 - C24 - See instructions for Qs A18 - A22 on Page 7.

PAGE 15 (Green)

QsC25-C30 - See instructions for Qs A23 - A28 on Page 8.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-69
QD1 - Valid codes are 0,1, 2, and 8.

• Code 8 H NO ANSWER. 

Qs D2/D3 - Valid codes are 0 and 1.

Qs D2 and D3 should be answered onjy when Q D1 is answered YES, DEFINITELY (1) or

POSSIBLY (2).

Qs D2 and D3 must be blank if Q D1 is answered NO (0) or NO ANSWER (8).

• If Q D1 is blank and Qs D2 and/or D3 are answered, edit Q D1 to POSSIBLY (2). 

« A single-digit number is used to code the answer to Qs D2 and D3. Place the code 

below the text of Q D2.

• Code a 1 if there is ANY ACTUAL time or address information given in Qs D2 and/or

D3. 

© Otherwise, code a 0,

DATE OF INTERVIEW

Valid codes are:

« MONTH: 01 - 05 

« DAY: 01 - 31 

9 YEAR: 91

Code the DATE OF INTERVIEW as a six-digit number using the format MMDDYY - where MM 

is a two-digit code for MONTH, DD is a two-digit code for DAY, and YY is a two-digit code for 

YEAR. Use leading zeros in the DATE codes if necessary.

Place the code above the space labeled DATE COMPLETED. It may be necessary to check the 

call record sheet on Page 1 to determine the DATE OF INTERVIEW.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-70
RT91-24 

052191

1991

This document highlights the key coding rules for the Beginning-of-Year RTECS questionnaire. The 

document also reminds coders of the key items without discussion of the coding rules that apply to those 

rtems. Coders should refer to the 1991 Beginning-of-Year Coding Instructions for detailed rules pertaining 

to each question.

PAGE1

Circle HHID NUMBER on address label.

Zero-fill and circle LENGTH OF INTERVIEW.

Write RESULT CODE to the right of the address label.

PAGE 2

A2.A

Code a 0 or 1 to the right of the YES/NO boxes. 

Code a 0 or 1 to the right of the text of Q A2A

PAGE 3

Code TOTAL VEHICLES FROM FOLDOUT PAGE above Title of Section A.

A3 Must be answered for the number of vehicles coded in previous step.

A4-A28 Should be answered for each vehicle that the household still has (A3 = 1).

A5 ODOMETER READING must be a six-digit number. Zero-fill if necessary. Edit out 

ESTIMATED or 'BROKEN" readings and tenths of a mile. DONT KNOW is edited to 999996 

MILES.

A7 Edit DONT KNOW to MONTH = 96 and DAY = 96.

PAGE 4 

VINs Look at MESSAGES ON FOLDOUT PAGE. Edit out unwanted VINs. Edit VINs as necessary 

-17 characters maximum. Code VIN REFUSED = 1 if any mention of refusal to give VIN.

PAGES

OTHERS

A10

A12

OTHERS are not valid - tag them for Benny or Jim D. 

Code ROTARY as 09.

Code LITERS and CUBIC INCHES separately; both use a three-digit code. Calculate LITERS. 

DONT KNOW is edited to 996 LITERS and 996 CUBIC INCHES. Only code both LITERS and 

CUBIC INCHES if DONT KNOW or NO ANSWER.

PAGE 6

OTHERS OTHERS are not valid - tag them for Benny or Jim D.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-71
PAGE 6, eonffnued

A1 5 Code PROPANE as 4.

A17 Code REGULAR AND PREMIUM EQUALLY as 4.

PAGE?

OTHERS

A18

A19

A20 

A22

OTHERS are not valid - tag them for Benny or Jim D.

Code BULK SALES or HOME DELIVERY/TANK as 4.

PRICE must be a three-digit number. Zero-fill if less than $1.00. Edit DON'T KNOW to PRICE

= 996.

Code PROPANE as 7,

MILES PER GALLON must be a two-digit number. Zero-fill if less than 10 MPG. If a RANGE 

is given, calculate and code the midpoint. Edit DONT KNOW to 96 MILES PER GALLON.

PAGE 8

OTHERS 

A24

A26

A27

A28

OTHERS are not valid - tag them for Benny or Jim D.

Code AGE and SEX separately. AGE must be a two-digit number, if AGE is older than 95,

code AGE - 95. Edit DONT KNOW AGE to AGE = 96.

MILES must be a two-digit number. Zero-fill if less than 10 MILES. If RANGE is given, 

calculate and code the midpoint. If greater than 94, code MILES = 94. If less than one mile, 

code MILES = 01. Edit NO FIXED PLACE OF WORK to MILES = 95. Edit DONT KNOW to 

MILES = 96.

MINUTES must be a three-digit number. Zero-fill if necessary. If RANGE is given, calculate 

and code the midpoint. If answer is in hours and minutes, calculate and code total MINUTES. 

Edit NO FIXED PLACE OF WORK to MINUTES = 995. Edit DONT KNOW to MINUTES = 996.

DAYS must be two-digit number. Zero-fill if necessary. Edit DONT KNOW to DAYS = 96.

PAGE 9

Check that information for deleted vehicles is coded in the proper column (i.e., if vehicle #2 is deleted, 

information for vehicle #2 should be in column #2).

B2 & B4 Code MONTH and YEAR separately. Each of these codes must be a two-digit number. Edit 

the DONT KNOWs to MONTH and/or YEAR = 96, as appropriate.

B3 MILES must be a six-digit number. Zero-fill if necessary. Edit out "BROKEN" miles and tenths 

of a mile. ACCEPT ESTIMATED ODOMETER READINGS.

PAGE 10

C3

C4

Code MAKE, MODEL NAME, and MODEL YEAR separately. Limit of 14 characters for names. 

MODEL YEAR must be a two-digit number. Leave MAKE and MODEL NAME blank if name(s) 

not provided. Edit/Speli out names as necessary. Edit out DONT KNOW MAKE/MODEL 

Edit DONT KNOW YEAR to YEAR = 96.

Tag OTHERS for Benny or Jim D.

f997 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-72
PAGE 11

CS Code MONTH and YEAR separately. Each of these codes must be a two-digit number. Edit 

the DONT KNOWs to MONTH and/or YEAR = 96, as appropriate.

C6 - 03 Watch skips carefully.

C7 ODOMETER READING must be a six-digit number. Zero-fill if necessary. Edit out 

ESTIMATED or "BROKEN" readings and tenths of a mile.

C8 Code YES/NO, DATE, and MILES separately. DATE must be a six-digit number in the format 

MMDDYY (MM = Month, DD = Day, YY = Year). Use leading zeros in the DATE code if 

necessary. ODOMETER READING must be a six-digit number. Zero-fill if necessary. Edit out 

ESTIMATED or "BROKEN" readings and tenths of a mile.

C10 Edit VINs as necessary - 17 characters maximum. Code VIN REFUSED = 1 if any mention 

of refusal to give VIN.

RAGES 12, 13, 14, ancf f 5

See the summary of Pages 5 - 8.

C16- 

C17- 

C18- 

C19- 

C20-

C11 — > 

C12 —— > 

C13 — > 

C14 — > 

C15 — >

PAGE 16

D2/D3

AS 

A10 

A11 

A12 

A13

Looi

--> A14

-> A15

--> A16

-> A17

-> A18

C21 - 

C22- 

C23- 

C24- 

C25-

--> A19

~> A20

-> A21

-> A22

~> A23

C26- 

C27- 

C28- 

C29- 

C30 -

..--> A24

—> A25

—> A26

—> A27

—> A28

Look for actual information in either question if D1 is YES, DEFINITELY or POSSIBLY. Code 

a 1 if any actual information in D2 or D3.

Code DATE OF INTERVIEW as a six-digit number in the format MMDDYY (MM = Month, DD = Day, YY 

= Year). Use leading zeros in the DATE code if necessary.

1991 RTECS Opera&'ons Manual I Appendix A-73
RT91-25 052391

1991 RTECS BEG1NNING-OF-YEAR DATA COLLECTION 

CODING AND DATA ENTRY CONTROL CARD

DATA ENTRY BATCH # (if used):

CODING

Coded Checked

DATA ENTRY

Keyed Cleaned Verified

Initial appropriate box as task is completed. Data Entry Cleaning step may not apply.

HHID Numbers of Questionnaires Removed from Pack for Special Handling

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-74
spartmenst of Energy

Washington, DC 20585

July 1991

Dear Resident:

The U. S. Department of Energy conducts an important national study about energy use in 

America every three years. Part of this study, the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption 

Survey, is designed to gather information about the use and fuei economy of vehicles on the 

road today.

We contacted you earlier this year about the types of vehicles in your household and the mileage 

associated with each. Because of changes in some households, we need to update vehicle 

information. Some households have changed vehicles since the beginning of the year; other 

households have moved or plan to move.

Since your household was scientifically selected to represent thousands of other U. S. 

households, your cooperation is needed in order to collect accurate information. Please 

remember that your cooperation is completely voluntary.

Your identity and any information that you provide will be held strictly confidential by law (Privacy 

Act of 1974. See the statement on the other side of this letter for further details on the Privacy 

Act.). Response Analysis Corporation is conducting the survey for the Department of Energy. 

No information that can be linked to your name and address will ever be provided to the 

Department of Energy or any other government agency.

After you have filled in the information requested on the enclosed worksheet, please keep this 

worksheet near your telephone. Response Analysis will be calling you in the next few weeks to 

get the information. Or, if you will be difficult to reach by phone, call collect to Jim Devlin at (609) 

921-3333.

U*\ ¥

""""""' ~^A. LyndaT! Carlson

Director, Energy End Use Division 

Office of Energy Markets and End Use 

Energy Information Administration

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-75
PRIVACY ACT NOTICE

This Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is being conducted by Response 

Analysis Corporation for the U. S. Department of Energy. It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information on vehicles used by households for personal 

use to help the Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to administer programs, 

monitor energy usage, and plan for our energy future,

Once the data about vehicle fuel consumption and expenditures have been linked with the 

information describing your household and we have concluded our planned contacts with your 

household, all information linking the data with your name and address will be destroyed.

The Department of Energy will receive only your answers, not your name or address. Your 

answers will be screened to protect your Identity; neither the Department of Energy nor any 

other Government agency will be able to locate your household.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-76
Washington, DC 20585

July 1991 

Dear Resident:

The U. S. Department of Energy conducts an important national study about energy use in 

America every three years. Part of this study, the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption 

Survey, is designed to gather information about the use and fuel economy of vehicles on the 

road today.

We contacted you earlier this year about the types of vehicles in your household and the mileage 

associated with each. Because of changes in some households, we need to update vehicle 

information. Some households have changed vehicles since the beginning of the year; other

households have moved or plan to move.

Since your household was scientifically selected to represent thousands of other U. S.

households, your cooperation is needed in order to collect accurate information. Please

remember that your cooperation is completely voluntary.

Your identity and any information that you provide will be held strictly confidential by law (Privacy

Act of 1974. See the statement on the other side of this letter for further details on the Privacy

Act.). Response Analysis Corporation is conducting the survey for the Department of Energy.

No information that can be linked to your name and address will ever be provided to the

Department of Energy or any other government agency.

After you have filled in the information requested on the enclosed form, please return the form 

to the U. S. Department of Energy, c/o Response Analysis Corporation, Box 7335, Princeton, NJ 

08543-9967, using the enclosed self-addressed Business Reply envelope.

Sine

Lynda T. Carlson 

Director, Energy End Use Division 

Office of Energy Markets and End Use 

Energy Information Administration

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-77
This Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is being conducted by Response 

Analysis Corporation for the U. S. Department of Energy. It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information on vehicles used by households for personal 

use to help the Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to administer programs, 

monitor energy usage, and plan for our energy future.

Once the data about vehicle fuei consumption and expenditures have been linked with the 

information describing your household and we have concluded our planned contacts with your 

household, all information linking the data with your name and address will be destroyed.

The Department of Energy will receive only your answers, not your name or address. Your 

answers will be screened to protect your identity; neither the Department of Energy npr any 

other Government agency wiSf be able to locate your household.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-78
Department of Energy

Washington, DC 20585

July 1991

Dear Resident:

The U. S. Department of Energy conducts an important national study about energy use in 

America every three years. Part of this study, the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption 

Survey, is designed to gather information about the use and fuel economy of vehicles on the 

road today.

We contacted you earlier this year about the types of vehicles in your household and the mileage 

associated with each. Because of changes in some households, we need to update vehicle 

information. Some households have changed vehicles since the beginning of the year; other 

households have moved or plan to move.

Since your household was scientifically selected to represent thousands of other U. S. 

households, your cooperation is needed in order to collect accurate information. Please 

remember that your cooperation is completely voluntary.

Your identity and any information that you provide will be held strictly confidential by law (Privacy 

Act of 1974. See the statement on the other side of this letter for further details on the Privacy 

Act.). Response Analysis Corporation is conducting the survey for the Department of Energy. 

No information that can be linked to your name and address will ever be provided to the 

Department of Energy or any other government agency.

After you have filled in the information requested on the enclosed worksheet, please keep this 

worksheet near your telephone. Response Analysis will be calling you in the next few weeks to 

get the information and to ask a few additional home heating questions. Or, if you will be difficult 

to reach by phone, call collect to Jim Devlin at (609) 921 -3333.

Sincerely,

u.

Lynda T. Carlson 

Director, Energy End Use Division 

Office of Energy Markets and End Use 

Energy Information Administration

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-79
This Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is being conducted by Response Analysis Corporation for the U. S. Department of Energy, it is authorized under Section 52 of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information on vehicles used by households for personal use to help the Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to administer programs, monitor energy usage, and plan for our energy future.

Once the data about vehicle fuel consumption and expenditures have been linked with the information describing your household and we have concluded our planned contacts with your household, all information linking the data with your name and address will be destroyed.

The Department of Energy will receive only your answers, not your name or address. Your answers will be screened to protect your identity; neither the Department of Energy nor any other Government agency will be able to locate your household.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary.

1991 RTEGS Operations Manual/Appendix A-80
Form EIA-876B {1991} Form Approval 

OMB No: 1905-0068 

Expires: 9/30/93

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

1991 RESIDENTIAL TRANSPORTATION 

ENERGY CONSUMPTION SURVEY

VEHICLE UPDATE FORM

This survey is voluntary and authorized under the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 

93-275), as amended. Information about specific households will be kept strictly confidential. The data 

will be screened to protect the identity of individual households, and summarized within large groupings 

for statistical purposes. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 5 minutes. 

Send comments regarding public reporting burden to: Energy Information Administration, Office of 

Statistical Standards, El-73, Mail Stop 2F-081,1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585

anu 

20503.

01

1991 RTEGS Operations Manual/Appendix A-81
EIA-876B (1991)

VEHICLE

We are now halfway through the survey year for the 1991 Residential Transportation Energy 

Consumption Survey. We need to make sure we have current information about the vehicles in your 

household.

When we last contacted you, you had the vehicles described below:

QUESTION 1: Does your household stili have the use of all of the vehicles listed above? 

D YES, STILL HAVE ALL VEHICLES -> SKIP TO QUESTION 2 ON THE NEXT PAGE. 

Q NO — > ANSWER QUESTIONS "A" THROUGH "C" FOR EACH VEHICLE DISPOSED OF.

If you disposed of only one vehicle, put your answers in Column 1, 

If you disposed of a second vehicle, use Column 2 for that vehicle.

VEHICLE

QUESTION

A. Which vehicle do you no 

longer have?

B. When did you sell or 

dispose of it? (GIVE 

YOUR BEST ESTIMATE)

r* tA/h~ n* ,»,*,« 4**^ <-,,Js*,~*,stlsr

reading (total mileage) 

when the vehicle was sold 

or disposed of? (GIVE 

YOUR BEST ESTIMATE)

COLUMN 1

Year: 19

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Year:

(Odometer Reading) 

D Donl Know

COLUMN 2

Yaar: 19

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Year:

a Don't

(Odometer Reading) 

Know

NOW CONTINUE 2 ON THE NEXT PAGE 

1991 Operations Manual/Appendix A-82
EIA-876B(1991)

QUESTION 2: Has your household bought or acquired any cars, trucks, vans, jeeps or similar 

vehicles that are not listed on the on the facing page?

D NO, HAVE NOT BOUGHT OR ACQUIRED ANY OTHER VEHICLE — > 

CONTINUE WITH QUESTION 3 ON THE NEXT PAGE.

D YES, HAVE BOUGHT OR ACQUIRED ANOTHER VEHICLE ->

PLEASE ANSWER QUESTIONS "A" THROUGH "D" BELOW 

FOR EACH VEHICLE BOUGHT OR ACQUIRED.

If you acquired only one vehicle, put your answers in Column 1. 

If you acquired a second vehicle, use Column 2 for that vehicle.

VEHICLE ACQUISITION QUESTIONS

QUESTION

A. Please give the year,

make, and model name of 

the acquired vehicle.

B. What was the date your

household acquired the 

vehicle? (GtVEYOUR

BEST ESTIMATE)

C. What is the current 

odometer reading (total

mileage) of this vehicle? 

PLEASE OBTAIN THIS 

FROM THE ODOMETER 

ON THE VEHICLE.

D. What was the date when

you recorded this 

odometer reading (total

mileage)?

COLUMN 1

Year: 19

Make:

Mode!:

Month:

Day:

Year:

(Odometer Reading) 

D Don't Know

Month:

Day:

COLUMN 2

Year: 19

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Year:

(Odometer Reading) 

D Don't Know

Month:

Day:

NOW CONTINUE WITH QUESTIONS 3 AND 4 ON THE NEXT PAGE —— ->

1831 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-83
E1A-876B (1991) 

QUESTION 3: Please look at the address label on the first page of this form. Does it show your 

correct mailing address?

D YES —> PLEASE SKIP TO QUESTION 4 BELOW.

D NO —> IF THE ADDRESS IS INCORRECT,

PLEASE WRITE THE CORRECT ADDRESS BELOW.

« STREET ADDRESS: 

CfTY/STATE: ZIP CODE:

» When did you move to this address? 

MONTH and YEAR: __________

QUESTION 4: Finally, is there a possibility that your household will move any time within 1991 ?

D NO —> THIS FORM IS COMPLETE. SKIP THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

PLEASE RETURN THE FORM USING THE ENCLOSED RETURN ENVELOPE.

D YES, DEFINITELY —> PLEASE ANSWER QUESTIONS 4A AND 4B BELOW. 

D POSSIBLY —> PLEASE ANSWER QUESTIONS 4A AND 48 BELOW. 

QUESTION 4A: Do you happen to know when you are or might be moving?

MONTH/DAY OR APPROXIMATE DATE _____________________________ 

D DONTKNOW

QUESTION 4B: Do you happen to know what your new address will be? (if not, please give the 

name and address of a relative or friend who will know how to reach you.)

STREET ADDRESS: 

CITY, STATE: ___

APT#:

ZIP CODE:

PHONE NUMBER: {_

THANK YOU!

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-84
Form EIA-876B (1991) Form Approval 

OMB No: 1905-0068 

Expires: 9/30/93

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

1991 RESIDENTIAL TRANSPORTATION 

ENERGY CONSUMPTION SURVEY

VEHICLE UPDATE WORKSHEET

AFTER YOU HAVE FILLED IN THE INFORMATION REQUESTED, PLEASE KEEP THIS WORKSHEET NEAR 

YOUR TELEPHONE. WE WILL BE CALLING YOU IN A WEEK OR TWO TO GET THE INFORMATION; OR, 

IF YOU WILL BE DIFFICULT TO REACH BY PHONE, CALL COLLECT TO JIM DEVLJN AT (609) 921-3333.

This survey is voluntary and authorized under the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 

93-275), as amended. Information about specific households will be kept strictly confidential. The data 

will be screened to protect the identity of individual households, and summarized within large groupings 

for statistical purposes. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 5 minutes. 

Send comments regarding public reporting burden to: Energy Information Administration, Office of

tatistical Standsrds, S 72, ! Step 2F 051 1000 Indeendence Aveni"? wachinntnn nr,

and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 

20503.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-85
EIA-876B (1991)

fEHICLE UPDATE WORKSHEET

We are now halfway through the survey year for the 1991 Residential Transportation Energy 

Consumption Survey. We need to make sure we have current information about the vehicles in your 

household.

When we last contacted you, you had the vehicles described below:

QUESTION 1: Does your household still have the use of all of the vehicles listed above? 

D YES, STILL HAVE ALL VEHICLES —> SKIP TO QUESTION 2 ON THE NEXT PAGE. 

D NO —> ANSWER QUESTIONS "A" THROUGH "C" FOR EACH VEHICLE DISPOSED OF.

If you disposed of only one vehicle, put your answers in Column 1. 

If you disposed of a second vehicle, use Column 2 for that vehicle.

VEHICLE DISPOSITION QUESTIONS

QUESTION

A. Which vehicle do you no

longer have?

B. When did you sell or

dispose of it? (GIVE 

YOUR BEST ESTIMATE)

C. What was the odometer 

reading (total mileage)

wnen tne vehicle was soio 

or disposed of? (GIVE 

YOUR BEST ESTIMATE)

COLUMN 1

Year: 19

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Year:

\\_>UUlnaiol necaiiny;

D DontKnow

COLUMN 2

Year: 19

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Year:

f^*ji* ——— *. — o«««ji;*»*,\ 

vw,^_.,.w"- . .. — —••a,

D Don't Know

NOW CONTINUE WITH QUESTION 2 ON THE NEXT PAGE ——>

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-86
E1A-8768 (1991)

QUESTION 2: Has your household bought or acquired any cars, trucks, vans, jeeps or similar 

vehicles that are not listed on the on the facing page?

D NO, HAVE NOT BOUGHT OR ANY VEHICLE —> 

CONTINUE WITH QUESTION 3 ON THE PAGE.

D YES, HAVE BOUGHT OR ACQUIRED VEHICLE ~>

PLEASE ANSWER QUESTIONS KA" THROUGH "D" BELOW 

FOR EACH VEHICLE BOUGHT OR

If you acquired only one vehicle, put your in Column 1. 

If you acquired a second vehicle, use Column 2 for that vehicle.

QUESTION

A. Please give the year, 

make, and model name of 

the acquired vehicle.

B. What was the date your

household acquired the 

vehicle? (GIVE YOUR

BEST ESTIMATE)

C. What Is the current 

odometer reading (total

mileage) of this vehicle? 

PLEASE OBTAIN THIS 

FROM THE ODOMETER 

ON THE VEHICLE.

D. What was the data when

you recorded this 

odometer reading (total

mileage)?

COLUMN 1

Year: 19 ___ 

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Year.

(Odometer Reading)

Q DontKnow

Month:

Day:

COLUMN 2

Year: 19 _____ 

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Year:

(Odometer Reading) . 

D Don't Know

Month:

Day:

CONTINUE WITH 3 AND 4 OM THE NEXT PAGE

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-87
EIA-S76B (1391)

QUESTION 3: Pleas© look at the address label on th© first page of this worksheet. Does it show 

your correct mailing address? address? 

D YES —> PLEASE SKIP TO QUESTION 4 BELOW.

D NO ~-> IF THE ADDRESS IS INCORRECT,

PLEASE WRrTE THE CORRECT ADDRESS BELOW.

• STREET ADDRESS: _______________ 

CITY/STATE:___________________ ZIP CODE:

• When did you move to this address? 

MONTH and YEAR: _________

QUESTION 4: Finally, is there a possibility that your household will move any time within 1991 ?

D NO -> THIS WORKSHEET IS COMPLETE. SKIP THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. 

PLEASE KEEP THE WORKSHEET NEAR YOUR PHONE.

D YES, DEFINITELY -> PLEASE ANSWER QUESTION 4A BELOW. 

D POSSIBLY —> PLEASE ANSWER QUESTION 4A BELOW.

QUESTION 4A: Do you happen to know when you are or might be moving? 

MONTH/DAY OR APPROXIMATE DATE __________________ 

D DONTKNOW

AFTER YOU HAVE FILLED IN THE INFORMATION REQUESTED, PLEASE KEEP THIS WORKSHEET 

NEAR YOUR TELEPHONE. WE WILL BE CALLING YOU IN A WEEK OR TWO TO GET THE 

INFORMATION; OR, IF YOU WILL BE DIFFICULT TO REACH BY PHONE, CALL COLLECT TO JIM 

DEVLIN AT (609) 921-3333.

THANK YOU!

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-88
RT91 -32 

071191

1991 Residential (RTECS)

Interviewer Instructions for the

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) is conducted every three 

years.

All of the RTECS households have granted a persona! interview last Fall for a survey of 

household energy use called RECS.

From February through early May 1991, we attempted to contact RTECS households and gather 

vehicle information. This was the first of three contacts with the RTECS households; the Mid-Year 

contact is the second; and the End-of-Year data collection, scheduled for January 1992, is the 

third.

The purpose of this Mid-Year contact is to update our information on each household's vehicle 

inventory and to verify present mailing address and phone number.

Both the RTECS and RECS are sponsored by the United States Department of Energy (DOE).

THE RTECS SAMPLE

The RTECS sample includes approximately 3,000 households. Approximately 2,200 of these 

households will be contacted for the Mid-Year data collection.

All of the households we will attempt to contact have furnished information or were not contacted 

at the beginning of the year. We will not attempt to contact households who have previously 

refused participation in RTECS.

For the Mid-Year RTECS contact, some households are also asked additional questions about 

home heating during this past winter at the end of the RTECS interview.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year interviewer instructions, Page 1

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix. A-69
DATA COLLECTION

Materials are sent to each household approximately one week prior to the Mid-Year contact. 

These materials include:

S A letter from Energy Information Administration asking for cooperation; this letter 

includes a privacy statement. An alternate version of the letter also mentions the home 

heating questions.

/ A pink vehicle worksheet; a label detailing our most current inventory of the 

household's vehicles is affixed to the worksheet. The worksheet asks for information 

about:

• vehicles disposed of

e vehicles acquired

9 accuracy of current address

• possibility of moving during 1991

Be neat and write legibly when you mark the Call Record Sheet.

CALLING SCHEDULE

The calling schedule for RTECS is as follows:

/ Maximum of two weekday-daytime calls (before 6 PM local time). 

/ At least two weekday-evening attempts out of eight call attempts.

Warning: For the West Coast, "evening" means after 9 PM Eastern Standard 

Time.

/ At least two weekend attempts out of eight attempts.

S Space your calls at least 2Va hours apart.

/ Vary your calling times. Do not always call at the same time of day.

/ Maximum of two calls on any one day.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer instructions, Page 2

1881 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-90
Exception: If a specific time is given as the best time to call or the 

respondent has asked you to call back later in the day.

Do not make any call after 10 PM local time, unless you were asked to call then.

CALL RESULTS 

Busy Signal

Make several attempts to get the call through before marking "BUSY."

Answering Machine

Do not leave a message. We will leave messages as a very last resort.

No Answer

Let the phone ring at least twelve times without being answered before recording "NA."

Respondent Not Available

Ask for the person whose name is on the label. The spouse/partner or other 

"knowledgeable" person can be interviewed.

If the eligible respondent is not there or can't come to the phone, arrange for a callback. 

Record the callback time in EASTERN STANDARD TIME and mark "EST."

Refusal

Mark "REF" if the household will not participate. Specify the refusal as "hard" or "soft" and 

make a brief note of the gist of what the respondent has said. Use verbatims; include 

frank language if you feel it is necessary.

NOTE: If the respondent furnishes most of the information but refuses some items (e.g., 

refuses to furnish an odometer reading), then DO NOT count this interview as a 

refusal; count it as a complete. Make a note on the call record sheet indicating 

that the respondent has refused to furnish at least some of the information.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer instructions, Page 3

188-1 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-91
THE HOUSEHOLD LABEL

An example of the address label that is used on the call record sheet of the Mid-Year RTECS 

questionnaire is illustrated below.

Time Zone Code: E=Eastern, C=Central, M=Mourrtain, P=Pacific, A=Alaskan, H=Hawaiian

Group Code Household ID #

E RT3

MR, JOHN SMITH____

123 MAIN STREET

SMALLTOWN, NJ 08600

609-921-0000

1000

Mailing Address: May be different from actual 

residential address

- Telephone Number: If the number is clearly wrong or a message says that the number is disconnected or not in 

service, dial 1-[area code]-555-1212 (directory assistance) and try to get a new phone number, 

Record the new number, if you get one, on the address label.

THE RESPONDENT

Ask for the person listed on the label by name. If they are not available, you may interview the 

spouse or other knowledgeable household member.

Special situations:

S Moved: If the whole household has moved attempt to get forwarding information. 

(From the current household, the operator, etc.)

/ Household Spilt Up: If the household split up, we want to be in touch with at least 

one member.

• If the entire household has split up and moved, attempt to find the 

telephone number of the person listed on the label.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 4

1981 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-SS
For a household where one or more of the original household members 

remains, continue the interview with that person. Indicate who that person 

is and his or her relationship to the person on the address iabel.

CORRECTING THE ADDRESS {Q. A1)

Make only the necessary corrections. We will assume all information Is correct unless otherwise 

noted.

Make corrections in the box on Page 2 or on the iabel itself.

NOTE: We are asking for the correct MAILING address, not the actual residential address.

THE COMPUTER-GENERATED PAGE(S)

There is at least one computer-generated page per questionnaire. It contains what we believe 

is the household's current vehicle inventory.

We are still interested in any vehicle listed on the page(s) that the household still has even 

though they say they are not currently using it.

It is possible to have a gap in the vehicle numbers. For example, a household could have a 

Vehicle 1 and Vehicle 3 without a Vehicle 2.

CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW (Q. B1):

Before placing the call, review the current vehicle inventory. If the inventory shows the household 

still has at least one vehicle, you should verify the mailing address in Q. A1, and then continue 

with the remainder of the questionnaire.

If the inventory shows the household has no vehicles, you should verify the mailing address, skip 

Q. B1, and continue with Q. C1.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 5

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-93
QUESTIQN-BY-QUESTiON 

Qs. B2 - BS: Vehicle Inventory 

Watch skip pattern!

J For each vehicle that the household still has, ask Q. B3.

/ If the household no longer has a vehicle, ask Qs. B4 - B5 for that vehicle,

,/ Correct vehicle descriptions, as necessary, inside the appropriate box on the 

computer-generated page. If an item in the vehicle description is missing, please ask 

the respondent to supply the missing information.

/ Accept estimates for date of disposal and odometer readings.

y After asking Qs. B2 - B5 for all vehicles, look at Vehicle 1. If the household has a 

Vehicle 1. continue with Qs. B6 - B8. Otherwise, skip to with Q. C1.

Qs. 86 - B8: Fuel information and MPG

Qs. B6 - B8 refer to the most recent fuel purchase for Vehicle 1.

"Don't Know" answers are OK. Do not ask for guesses.

Record dollars to the left of the decimal point and cents to the right.

Qs. C1 - C8: Additional Vehicles

Section C is used to record information for vehicles that the household has but are not 

mentioned on the computer-generated page(s).

Q. C1: Do you have any other vehicles?

S DO NOT count motorcycles or mopeds - we're not interested in them.

/ DO count company cars, trucks, and vans IF they are used for persona! reasons.

S DO count vehicles that belong to lodgers, students, and relatives that live in the 

household.

Q. C3: Please tell me the make, model name, and year of the vehicle. 

S The instruction box at bottom of page is important.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 6

1891 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-84
</ Get as much make, model, and year as you can.

Q. C4: What of Is ft?

If the respondent says that the vehicle type is a "VAN", probe for whether he or she 

considers it to be a VAN or a MINI VAN,

Qs. C6 - C8: Odometer

/ We hope that the respondent has used the VEHICLE UPDATE WORKSHEET that we 

sent.

«/ if the respondent did not record the_mileage_on the VEHICLE UPDATE WORKSHEET, 

ask them to get the odometer reading while you wait on the phone. Call back if 

necessary.

t/ Do not accept estimated odometer readings.

/ In Q, C8, we want to know if the vehicle was a new vehicle, not a used vehicle. This 

question has sometimes been interpreted as meaning "is the vehicle new to the 

household?". This interpretation is incorrect.

Q. D4: Concluding the RTECS Interview

/ Read the transitional statement if the pink ACF questionnaire is attached to the back 

of the RTECS questionnaire.

/ if the pink ACF questionnaire is missing, conclude the interview with the statement in 

bold lettering.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer instructions, Page 7

1991 RTECS Operation? Manual/Appendix A-95
A

TO

Letter from the Energy Information Administration

Letter from the Energy information Administration mentioning Additional 

Home Heating Questions

Vehicle Update Worksheet

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-96
Letter from the Energy Information Administration (Front)

Department of Energy

Washington. DC 20585

July 1991

Dear Resident:

The U. S. Department of Energy conducts an important national study about energy use in 

America every three years. Part of this study, the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption 

Survey, is designed to gather information about the use and fuel economy of vehicles on the 

road today,

We contacted you sarlier this year about the types of vehicles in your household and the mileage 

associated with each. Because of changes in some households, we need to update vehicle 

information. Some households have changed vehicles since the beginning of the year; other 

households have moved or plan to move.

Since your household was scientifically selected to represent thousands of other U. S. 

households, your cooperation is needed in order to collect accurate information. Please 

remember that your cooperation is completely voluntary.

Your identity and any information that you provide will be held strictly confidential by law (Privacy 

Act of 1974. See the statement on the other side of this letter for further details on the Privacy 

Act.). Response Analysis Corporation is conducting the survey for the Department of Energy. 

No information that can be linked to your name and address will ever be provided to the 

Department of Energy or any other government agency.

After you have filled in the information requested on the enclosed worksheet, please keep this 

worksheet near your telephone. Response Analysis will be calling you in the next few weeks to 

get the information. Or, if you will be difficult to reach by phone, call collect to Jim Devlin at (609) 

921-3333.

Sincerely,

Lyndan Carlson

Director, Energy End Use Division

Office of Energy Markets and End Use

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 9

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-97
Letter from the Energy Information Administration (Back)

PRIVACY ACT NOTICE

This Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is being conducted by Response 

Analysis Corporation for the U. S. Department of Energy. It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information on vehicles used by households for personal 

use to help the Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to administer programs. 

monitor energy usage, and plan for our energy future.

Once the data about vehicle fuel consumption and expenditures have been linked with the 

information describing your household and we have concluded our planned contacts with your 

household, ail information linking the data with your name and address will be destroyed.

The Department of Energy will receive only your answers, not your name or address. Your 

answers wifl be screened-to protect your identity; neither the Department of Energy nor any 

other Government agency wilt be able to locate your household.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 10

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-98
Letter from the Energy information Administration 

Mentioning Additional Home Heating Questions (Front)

Department of Energy

Washington, DC 20585

July 1991

Dear Resident:

The U. S. Department of Energy conducts an important national study about energy use in 

America every three years. Part of this study, the Residential Transportation Energy Consumption 

Survey, is designed to gather information about the use and fuel economy of vehicles on the 

road today.

We contacted you earlier this year about the types of vehicles in your household and the mileage 

associated with each. Because of changes in some households, we need to update vehicle 

information. Some households have changed vehicles since the beginning of the year; other 

households have moved or plan to move.

Since your household was scientifically selected to represent thousands of other U. S. 

households, your cooperation is needed in order to collect accurate information. Please 

remember that your cooperation is completely voluntary.

Your identity and any information that you provide will be held strictly confidential by law (Privacy 

Act of 1974. See the statement on the other side of this letter for further details on the Privacy 

Act.). Response Analysis Corporation is conducting the survey for the Department of Energy. 

No information that can be linked to your name and address will ever be provided to the 

Department of Energy or any other government agency.

After you have filled in the information requested on the enclosed worksheet, please keep this 

worksheet near your telephone. Response Analysis will be calling you in the next few weeks to 

get the information and to ask a few additional home heating questions. Or, if you will be difficult 

to reach by phone, call collect to Jim Devlin at (609) 921-3333.

Sincerely,

Lynda T. Carlson

Director, Energy End Use Division 

Office of Energy Markets and End Use 

n Administration

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 11

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A~99
Letter from the Energy Information Administration 

Mentioning Additional Home Heating Questions (Back)

PRIVACY ACT NOTICE

This Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is being conducted by Response 

Analysis Corporation for the U. S. Department of Energy. It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information on vehicles used by households for personal 

use to help the Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to administer programs. 

monitor energy usage, and plan for our energy future.

Once the data about vehicle fuel consumption and expenditures have been linked with the 

information describing your household and we have concluded our planned contacts with your 

household, all information linking the data with your name and address will be destroyed.

The Department of Energy will receive only your answers, not your name or address. Your 

answers will be screenecHo protect your identity; neither the Department of Energy nor any 

other Government agency will be able to locate your household.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 12

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-100
Vehicle Update Worksheet (Page 1)

Form EIA-876B (1991) Form Approval 

0MB No: 1905-0068 

Expires: 9/30/93

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

1991 RESIDENTIAL TRANSPORTATION 

ENERGY CONSUMPTION SURVEY

VEHICLE UPDATE WORKSHEET

AFTER YOU HAVE FILLED IN THE INFORMATION REQUESTED, PLEASE KEEP THIS WORKSHEET NEAR 

YOUR TELEPHONE. WE WILL BE CALLING YOU IN A WEEK OR TWO TO GET THE INFORMATION; OR, 

IF YOU WILL BE DIFFICULT TO REACH BY PHONE, CALL COLLECT TO JIM DEVUN AT (609) 921 -3333.

This survey is voluntary and authorized under the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 

93-275), as amended. Information about specific households will be kept strictly confidential. The data 

will be screened to protect the identity of individual households, and summarized within large groupings 

f*y statistical nurooses. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 5 minutes. 

Send comments regarding public reporting ouraeti 10: Eneryy it Huf.WuGr, Adrr.lnictrctbr!, O**?0 "f 

Statistical Standards, El-73, Mail Stop 2F-Q81, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585 

and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington. DC

20503. 1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 13

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-101
EIA-8768(1991)

Vehicle Update 2}

We are now halfway through the survey year for the 1991 Residential Transportation Energy 

Consumption Survey. We need to make sure we have current information about the vehicles in your 

household.

When we last contacted you, you had the vehicles described below.

QUESTION 1 : Does your household sti!! have the use of ajl of the vehicles listed above? 

D YES, STILL HAVE ALL VEHICLES -> SKIP TO QUESTION 2 ON THE NEXT PAGE. 

D NO —> ANSWER QUESTIONS "A" THROUGH "C" FOR EACH VEHICLE DISPOSED OF.

If you disposed of only one vehicie, put your answers in Column 1. 

tf you disposed of a second vehicle, use Column 2 for that vehicle.

VEHICLE DISPOSITION QUESTIONS

QUESTION

A. Which vehicle do you no 

longer nave?

B. When did you sell or

dispose of it? (GIVE 

YOUR BEST ESTIMATE)

C. What was the odometer 

reading (total mileage)

when the vehicle was sold 

or disposed of? (GIVE

COLUMN 1

Year 19 _____ 

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Year:

(Odometer Reading)

COLUMN 2

Year: 19 ____ 

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Year:

(Odometer Reading)

n r^i^r,'* Wnow

1 W*Jn i-tb-w I *-^ > MVII^O t i_j j fc_j »_.v:

NOW CONTINUE WITH QUESTION 2 ON THE NEXT PAGE 

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 14

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-102
Vehicle Update Worksheet (Page 3)

E1A-876B (1991)

QUESTION 2: Has your household bought or acquired any cars, trucks, vans, jeeps or similar 

vehicles that are not listed on the label on the facing page?

D NO, HAVE NOT BOUGHT OR ACQUIRED ANY OTHER VEHICLE -> 

CONTINUE WITH QUESTION 3 ON THE NEXT PAGE.

D YES, HAVE BOUGHT OR ACQUIRED ANOTHER VEHICLE —>

PLEASE ANSWER QUESTIONS "A" THROUGH "D" BELOW 

FOR EACH VEHICLE BOUGHT OR ACQUIRED.

if you acquired only one vehicle, put your answers in Column 1, 

If you acquired a second vehicle, use Column 2 for that vehicle.

VEHICLE ACQUISITION QUESTIONS

QUESTION

A. Please give the year,

make, and model name of 

tha acquired vehicle.

B. What was the date your

household acquired the 

vehicle? {GIVE YOUR

BEST ESTIMATE)

C. What is the current 

odometer reading (total

mileage) of this vehicle? 

PLEASE OBTAIN THIS 

FHOM THE ODOMETER 

ON THE VEHICLE.

D. What was the data when

you recorded this 

odometer reading (total

mileage)?

COLUMN 1

Yean 19

Make:

Model:

Month:

Day:

Yean

(Odometer Reading) 

O Don't Know

Month:

Dav:

COLUMN 2

Year: 19

Make:

Model:

Month:

Dav:

Year:

(Odometer Reading) 

D Don't Know

Month:

Day:

NOW CONTINUE WITH QUESTIONS 3 AND 4 ON THE NEXT PAGE -——>

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 15

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Append!!?. A-103
Vehicle Update Worksheet (Page 4}

EIA-876B (1991)

QUESTION 3: Please look at the address label on the first page of this worksheet. Does it show 

your correct mailing address?

D YES —> PLEASE SKIP TO QUESTION 4 BELOW.

D NO — > IF THE ADDRESS IS INCORRECT,

PLEASE WRITE THE CORRECT ADDRESS BELOW.

• STREET ADDRESS: _________________________________

CETY/STATE: ______________________ ZIP CODE:

» When did you move to this address? 

MONTH and YEAR: _________

QUESTION 4: Finally, is there a possibility that your household will move any time within 1991 ?

D NO -> THIS WORKSHEET IS COMPLETE. SKIP THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. 

PLEASE KEEP THE WORKSHEET NEAR YOUR PHONE.

D YES, DEFINITELY —> PLEASE ANSWER QUESTION 4A BELOW. 

O POSSIBLY -> PLEASE ANSWER QUESTION 4A BELOW.

QUESTION 4A: Do you happen to know when you are or might be moving? 

MONTH/DAY OR APPROXIMATE DATE -_..-^— ....._ 

D DONTKNOW

AFTER YOU HAVE FILLED IN THE INFORMATION REQUESTED, PLEASE KEEP THIS WORKSHEET 

NEAR YOUR TELEPHONE. WE Will BE CALLING YOU IN A WEEK OR TWO TO GET THE 

INFORMATION; OR, IF YOU WILL BE DIFFICULT TO REACH BY PHONE, CALL COLLECT TO JIM 

DEVLIN AT (609) 921-3333.

THANK YOUS

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 16

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-104
APPENDIX B

ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS FROM RESPONDENTS

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-105
ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS FROM RESPONDENTS

Q. "S am not average."

A. We are interested in your household, no matter how you use your vehicle(s). This would 

not be a representative survey if we only interviewed households with average vehicles and 

average driving habits.

Q. "I was In this same vehicle survey before. Why should 1 do ft again?"

A. The households that were in the survey before are very important to the current survey. 

Data from repeat households, like yours, offer the best opportunities of studying how 

households change their vehicles over time.

Q. "Ask somebody efse."

A. We need your participation. We have followed scientific procedures and cannot substitute 

another household for yours. It will mean a great deal to us and to the U.S. Department of 

Energy if you can take the time to help with our survey.

Q. "I do not want the government to have records on me."

A. The names and addresses of the participants are known only to the research staff at 

Response Analysis, All of the survey information is kept confidential.

Q. "Can 1 verify your legitimacy?"

A. You can call Ms. Martha Johnson at the U.S. Department of Energy (1 -202-586-1135) or Mr. 

Jim Devlin at Response Analysis Corporation (1-609-921-3333).

Q. "I am not using my car at this time."

A. It is important that we collect information on all vehicles including those that are driven 

hundreds of miles each week and those that are hardly driven at all.

Q. "1 don't have any vehicles."

A. We are interested in your household even if you don't have any vehicles at this time. This 

would not be a representative survey if we only interviewed households with vehicles. Also, 

you may acquire a vehicle during the year and we will be calling at the end of the year to 

find this out.

Q. "What will be done with this information?"

A. This survey will be used to guide government policy makers. The survey will provide a

at gasoline and diesel fuel consumption nationwide.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Interviewer Instructions, Page 18

1981 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-106
Form EIA-S76B (1991) 1991 Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey

Mid-Year Questionnaire

(Telephone Survey)

Form Approval: 

0MB No. 1905-0068 

Expires: 9/30/93

CALL

#

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

CALL RECORD

DAY OF 

WEEK DATE TIME

CALL RESULT CODE

0

B T 

U D H R*

SANRLIEE C

YHAABSRF M

1234567 8* 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8* 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8* 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8* 9

1234567 8* 9

1234567 8* 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8* 9

1234567 8* 9

INTER 

VIEWER

NOTES, INCLUDING: 

o Contact person 

o Best time for callback 

o Appointments 

o REFUSALS*

(REMEMBER TO RECORD E.S.T. FOR ALL TIMES 

RECORDED.)

* IMPORTANT: ALL REFUSALS SHOULD BE 1) SPECIFIED AS "HARD" OR "SOFT," AND

2) DESCRIBED (WRITE REASONS AND STATEMENT.)

ASK FIRST TO SPEAK WITH THE PERSON WHOSE NAME APPEARS ON THE LABEL IF HE/SHE IS UNAVAILABLE, THE 

INTERVIEW MAY BE COMPLETED WITH A SPOUSE OR OTHER KNOWLEDGEABLE MEMBER OF THE HOUSEHOLD.

Hello, this is _________ . calling from Response Analysis Corporation in Princeton, New Jersey. We recently sent

a letter about a special study that the U.S. Department of Energy has asked us to do on energy use for household vehicles.

IF ASKED ABOUT CONFTOENTIALITY, READ:

This survey is voluntary and authorized under the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), 

as amended. Information about specific households will be kept strictly confidential. The data will be screened to 

protect the identity of individual households, and summarized within large groupings for statistical purposes.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-107
EIA-876B (1991)

Al. First, I would like to check that we have your correct nmiling address. 

Is it. . . ? (READ ADDRESS SHOWN ON LABEL)

[ ] YES - CONTINUE WITH QUESTION Bl 

[ ] NO --.,

Al-A IF MAILING ADDRESS IS INCORRECT, WRITE IN THE CORRECT ADDRESS BELOW: 

Street Address: ______________________________ Apt. #______________

City, State: _______________________________ ZIP: ___________

A1.B When did you move to (ADDRESS NOTED ABOVE)? 

Month and Year:

NOW CONTINUE WITH QUESTION Bl

1SS1 RTECS Operations Manual/Appandix A-1Q8
HH1I) #

Bl. I have a description of the vehicle-ills:] mentioned at the time erf 

our most recent contact with your household. I would like to 

verify [this/these] descriptions with you.

IF.NO VEHICLES ARE LISTED ON FORM BELOW SKIP TO QUESTION 01

VEHICLE NUMBER

TYPE

MODEL YEAR

MAKE

MODEL NAME

B2,, Do you still have 

[READ VEHICLE 

DESCRIPTION IN 

COLUMN ABOVE]?

IF YES FOR Q. B2:

B3.. Have I

described it 

correctly? 

[IF NO, MAKE 

CORRECTIONS 

ABOVE]

IF NO FOR Q.

B4. On what day 

the vehicle 

sold or 

disposed of?

B5. Approximately, 

what was the 

odometer 

reading 

(total miles) 

on the vehicle 

at the time it 

was sold or 

disposed of?

01

[ ] YES 

[ ] NO

[ ] YES 

[ ] NO

MONTH/DAY

YEAR

MILES

[ ] DON'T 

KNOW

02

PICKUP TRK

1984 

CHEVROLET

CREW CAB

[ ] YES 

[ ] NO

[ ] YES 

[ ] NO

MONTH/DAY

YEAR

MILES

[ ] DON'T 

KNOW

JEEP/UTIL.

1972

JEEP

AMC MILITARY

[ ] YES 

[ ] NO

[ ] YES 

[ ] NO

MONTH/DAY

YEAR

MILES

[ ] DON'T 

KNOW

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-109
HHID #

VEHICLE NUMBER

TYPE

MODEL YEAR

MAKE

MODEL NAME

B2. Do you still have 

[READ VEHICLE 

DESCRIPTION IN 

COLUMN ABOVE]?

IF YES FOR Q. 82:

B3. Have I

described it 

correctly? 

[IF NO, MAKE 

CORRECTIONS 

ABOVE]

IF NO FOR Q. B2x

B4. On what day 

the vehicle 

sold or 

. disposed of?

B5. Approximately, 

what was the 

odometer 

reading 

(total miles) 

on the vehicle 

at the time it 

was sold or 

disposed of?

[ ] YES

[ ] NO

[ ] YES

[ ] NO

MONTH/DAY 

""YEAR""

MILES

DON' T 

KNOW

CAR 

1990

PONTIAC 

6000 SE

[ ] YES 

[ ] NO

[ ] YES 

[ ] NO

MONTH/DAY

YEAR

MILKS

] DON'T 

KNOW

[ ] YES

i: ] No

[ ] YES

r. ] No

MONTH/DAY

YEAR

MILES

[ ] DON'T 

KNOW

IF HOUSErHOLD STILL. HAM VEHICLE" «1.. n

IF NO VEHICLE 4*1 LISTED ABOVE, OR IF HOUSEHOI D NO I ONOFR 

HAS VEHICLE Ml, SKIP TO Q. Cl

1991 RTECS Manual/Appendix A-110
EIA-876B (1991)

ASK QUESTIONS B6-B8 ONLY IF RESPONDENT REPORTS THAT HE/SHE STILL HAS VEHICLE NUMBER #1. 

QUESTIONS B6-B8 ARE ASKED ONLY FOR VEHICLE NUMBER #1.

Thinking about your [READ YEAR, MAKE 

AND MODEL FOR VEHICLE NUMBER #1 

IN COLUMN #1 ABOVE]:

B6. What was the price per gallon 

the last time you purchased 

fuel for this vehicle?

B7. What kind of fuel was purchased 

at that time? Diesel, unleaded, 

premium — or some grade in 

between regular and premium? 

(RECORD LEADED REGULAR 

AS "OTHER." AN IN-BETWEEN 

GRADE MAY BE CALLED 

"MIDGRADE," "INTERMEDIATE," 

OR "PLUS")

B8. When you last bought fuel for this 

vehicle, did you use full-service 

pumps or self-service pumps? 

(RECORD MINI-SERVICE AS 

SELF-SERVICE)

PRICE 

DON'T KNOW

DIESEL

UNLEADED REGULAR

PREMIUM

MTDGRADE

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

FULL-SERVICE

SELF-SERVICE 

(Includes Mini-Service)

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

Vehicle Number #1

4

1

2

3

5

1

2

5

CONTINUE WITH QUESTION Cl.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-111
G: Acquired Vehicle Question!

Cl. Do you or other members of your househoid 

own or have for your persona! use any cars, 

trucks, vans, or similar vehicles, in addition 

to (DESCRIBE VEHICLES LISTED ON 

QUESTION Bl PAGES 3 AND 4 BUT 

DO NOT MENTION AGAIN ANY 

VEHICLES THEY NO LONGER HAVE.)

IF "YES," ASK:

1 YES- ASK Q. C2

C2. How many additional vehicles 

do you have?

0 NO

6 DON'T KNOW1 ONE

2 TWO

3 THREE

4 FOUR OR MORE

6 DONTKNOW ——

-*-SKIP TO Q. Dl

-ASK Q. C3

IF "ONE OR MORE VEHICLES" ON Q. C2, 

ASK Q. C3 FOR EACH ADDITIONAL 

VEHICLE, AND THEN ASK Q. C4 FOR 

" ACH ADDITIONAL VEHICLE.

C3. Please tell me the make, model name 

and year (of each one).

C4. What type of vehicle is the 

(READ: YEAR, MAKE, 

MODEL-FROM Q. C3.) 

(READ CATEGORIES TO 

RESPONDENT IF NECESSARY.)

MAKE

MODEL NAME 

MODEL YEAR 

DONT KNOW MAKE 

DONT KNOW MODEL 

DONT KNOW YEAR

PASSENGER CAR

STATION WAGON

LARGE VAN

MINI VAN

PICKUP TRUCK 

JEEP OR SIMILAR VEHICLE

OTHER

(Specify)

DONT KNOW

Vehicle Number

#A

19

6

6

96

1

3

4

5

6

7

21

96

#B

19

6

6

96

1

3

4

5

6

7

21

96

#C

19

6

6

96

1

3

4

5

6

7

21

96

#D

19

6

6

96

1

3

4

5

6

7

21

96

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

Q. C3 — A mode! name may consist of several parts - be sure to get the complete name. Here are some examples, where the complete model

name is in parentheses: Ford (Galaxie), Chevrolet (V-10 Suburban), GMC (V-15 Gimmy), Toyota (2WD Cargo Van). If respondent

does not know the name of a truck, probe for size (1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, etc.).

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-112
ASK Q. C5 - C8 FOR VEHICLE A FIRST,

THEN GO TO VEHICLE B, VEHICLE C, AND

VEHICLE D

p<5

C6

In what month and year did you get this

vehicle?

(READ: YEAR, MAKE, MODEL

EROM--Q. C3)

MONTH

YEAR

DONT KNOW MONTH

DONT KNOW YEAR

Do you happen to know the total mileage

(odometer reading) for this vehicle?

IF "YES," ASK:

C7. What is the total mileage (odometer

reading)?

Is that the current mileage for

today's date, or some other date?

IF "NO," ASK:

C8. Was the vehicle new when you got it?

YES

NO

MILES

DATE

NO

YES

Vehicle Namber

#A

19

96

96

1

0

Month/Day

0

1

#B

19

96

96

1

0

Month/Day

0

1

#C

19

96

96

1

0

Month/Day

0

1

#D

19

96

96

1

0

Month/Day

0

1

INTERVIEWER: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ASKED THE FULL SET OF QUESiiUNS (U's. t^-u») f UK 

EACH ADDITIONAL VEHICLE THE RESPONDENT TOLD YOU ABOUT IN QUESTION C2. THEN 

CONTINUE WITH QUESTION Dl.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-113
EIA-876B (1991)

Section D: Closing

Dl. Is there a possibility that your household 

will move any time during the remainder of 

1991?

IF "YES" OR "POSSIBLY," ASK:

1 YES, DEFINITELY2 POSSIBLY —————

0 NO —————————

- Go to Q. D2

->• Go to D4

D2. Do you happen to know when you (are/ 

might be) moving?

MONTH/DAY/YEAR..

APPROXIMATE TIME PERIOD, 

[ ] DON'T KNOW

D3. Do you happen to know what your new 

address will be?

NAME:

STREET:

CITY/STATE: ZIP CODE:

PHONE:__(_ J-

(Area Code)

D4. INTERVIEWER - CHECK TO SEE IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON THE NEXT PAGES. 

[ ] YES, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL PAGES AND QUESTIONS.

[ ] BEGIN WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT:

"We now have a few questions about heating your home this last winter. 

These will only take a minute."

[ ] NOW SKIP TO QUESTIONS SI (ON THE NEXT PAGE) 

[ ] NO, NO ADDITIONAL PAGES AND QUESTIONS

Thank you very much for helping us with this survey. We will be contacting you 

at the end of the year to obtain followup odometer reading(s) for your vehicle(s). 

Have a nice day/evening.

AM 

____ __________ PM

(Interviewer) (Date Completed) (Time Completed)

INTERVIEWER NOTES:

1991 RTEGS Operations Manual/Appendix A-114
RT91-35 

093091

1991 Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Sunref

Mid-Year Coding Instructions

OVERVIEW

The Mid-Year contact is the second of three contacts that we will attempt to make with 

households involved in the 1991 Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey. The 

telephone questionnaire for this contact is much more brief than that used for the beginning- and 

end-of-year contacts because this contact is not intended as a full-blown data collection. Simply, 

we are attempting to "keep in touch" with the households. We have verified the household's 

address, updated the household's vehicle inventory (including asking a brief set of questions 

about disposed or acquired vehicles), asked three questions about the most recent fuel purchase 

for all Vehicle 1s, and gathered tracking information, when applicable, in case the household 

moves before the end of the year.

The coding task involves a coding step and a sorting procedure. After coding the necessary 

information onto the coding form for each household, you will examine the questionnaire for the 

presence of a change to the household address/phone number or to the description of at least 

one vehicle. The questionnaires are then returned to their packs or sorted into one of three 

groups for further processing.

The coding form is divided into three sections. The first section is where you code the 

household information; the second section is used to code vehicle dispositions; while the third 

section is used to code vehicle acquisitions. The coding form can accommodate up to four 

disposed or acquired vehicles. If a household has disposed of or acquired more than four 

vehicles, please bring the case to the attention of Benny or Jim 0.

If you have any questions about how to code a specific item or deal with a special situation, 

please put the questionnaire aside and hold it for Benny or Jim D. The charge number for this 

coding task is 8400-832 (RTECS Mid-Year Phone).

ABOUT THE VEHICLE PAGES

The most recent vehicle inventory for each household is described on the white computergenerated page(s). Each vehicle is assigned a Vehicle Number, found at the top of each column. 

A vehicle description need not be present under each Vehicle Number. In fact, a household 

without any vehicles will have one white computer-generated page with no vehicles described.

Do not concern yourself with what appear to be "missing" vehicles. These "missing" vehicles 

have since been disposed of or were never owned by the household. It is relatively common, 

for example, to see a description for Vehicle Numbers 1 and 5, and nothing described for Vehicle

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-115
Numbers 2, 3, and 4. Be sure to look past the first "missing" vehicle when checking the vehicle 

inventory or when looking lor changes in vehicle descriptions.

The white computer-generated vehicle page(s) is where you will find information regarding 

vehicles that we already know about. On this page, we ask if a household still has the vehicle. 

Depending upon the answer, we ask if It is described correctly (if the vehicle is still with the 

household) or (if the household no longer has it) when the vehicle was disposed of and an 

estimate of the vehicle's odometer reading at the time of disposal.

WHERE TO FIND THE OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION

In addition to asking about current household vehicles and gathering information about vehicles 

no longer belonging to the household (the white computer-generated pages), we also verified 

the household mailing address, collected information about the most recent fuel purchase for all 

Vehicle Number 1s, asked about any additional vehicles that the household may have acquired, 

obtained tracking information for households who may move before the end of the year, and 

recorded the length of interview.

Changes in the household address are found on the call record sheet or on Page 2. The length 

of interview is almost always found in the upper-right corner of the call record sheet. Most recent 

fuel purchase information, when asked, is found on Page 5. Information pertaining to additional 

vehicles is found on Pages 6 and 7. Tracking data, or lack of such, are found on Page 8.

THE WORK FLOW

The scope of the coding task varies by questionnaire. Because only certain items are coded for 

every household, the coding task requires you to code a minimum of three items of information 

per household. The balance of the coding task depends upon the degree to which the 

household's vehicle inventory has changed. After the coding task is completed, you should 

inspect the questionnaire for changes to the household's address/telephone information and/or 

to the description of one or more of its vehicles.

Here's the work flow:

CODE HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION FOR EVERYBODY:

A Code the 3 items (6, if the household still has a Vehicle Number 1) of household 

information: HHID and length of interview (call record sheet), the three most recent 

fuel purchase questions (Page 5; only for Vehicle 1s), and tracking information (last 

page). Use a separate coding form for each household.

THEN, LOOK FOR CHANGES IN THE HOUSEHOLD'S VEHICLE INVENTORY: 

B Has the household acauired or disposed of a vehicle?

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-116
YES =====> Code all information regarding vehicle acquisitions and/or 

dispositions. Then proceed to C.

Proceed to C. 

IDENTIFY HOUSEHOLD ADDRESS OR VEHICLE DESCRIPTION CHANGES:

C Are there any changes in the household address/phone number or to the description 

of one or more vehicles?

YES =====> Sort the questionnaires into three groups, depending upon the 

presence of changes in the household address or one or more 

vehicle descriptions:

Group 1 - Address Change Only

Group 2 - Vehicle Description Changes Only

Group 3 - Address AND Vehicle Description Changes

Give the three groups of questionnaires to Benny or Jim D. We will 

return questionnaires that have address or vehicle description 

changes when we are finished inputting the changes. The 

questionnaires should be refiled into their packs.

NO =====> Finished coding - leave questionnaire in pack.

CODING THE HOUSEHOLD CARD

You will code the items on the household card using a separate coding form for every 

questionnaire. The fields are:

• HHID Number - The Household ID Number is found in the upper-right corner of the 

address label on the call record sheet or In the upper-right corner of the white vehicle 

page(s). Code the 4-digit number.

• Length of Interview - Code as a two-digit number using a leading zero, when 

necessary. The length of interview is found written (and usually circled) in the upperright corner of the call record sheet. You may have to look at the call record sheet 

and time completed to calculate length of interview. Code '98' if No Answer.

• Questions about Most Recent Fuel Purchase (from Page 5) - Should only be 

answered if the household still has a Vehicle #1 . If the household still has a Vehicle 

#1 and the questions are not answered, code the three items according to the 

instructions for 'No Answer' below.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-117
If the household does not have or no longer has a Vehicle #1, leave these three fields 

blank on the coding form. If these questions have been answered and they shouldn't 

have been, ignore the responses.

Price of Fuel - Code as a three-digit number using a leading zero, when necessary. 

Ignore tenths of a cent, if given. If '6' (Don't Know) is circled, code as '996.' Code 

'998' if No Answer.

Fuel Type - Code as a single-digit number. Code 'Propane' as 7.' Leave 'Leaded' 

as '5' (Other). Code '8' if No Answer.

Type of Service - Code as a single-digit number. Code 'Bulk Sales' or 'Home 

Delivery' or 'Home Tank' as '4.' Code '8' if No Answer.

Tracking Information - Code as a single-digit number. If any tracking information is 

provided in Q D2, code as '1.' Otherwise, code as '0.'

CODING THE DISPOSITION CARDS

If Q B2 has been answered 'No' for a vehicle, that vehicle is no longer owned or used by the 

household. For every vehicle where Q B2 is answered 'No,' Qs B4 and 85 should be answered.

If the household states that they 'Never Had' the vehicle, code the Disposition Date as '959595' 

and the Odometer Reading as '999995.'

Use one line under the heading VEHICLE DISPOSITION CARDS' on the coding form per 

disposed vehicle. There is room on the form to code up to 4 disposed vehicles per household. 

The four items to code for each disposed vehicle are:

• Household ID Number - Code the four-digit number found in the places described 

under the section 'CODING THE HOUSEHOLD CARD' above.

• Vehicle Number - Code as a two-digit number using a leading zero. The Vehicle 

Number Is found at the top of each column of the vehicle inventory grid on the white 

computer-generated vehicle page(s).

• Vehicle Disposition Date - Code as a six-digit number using two digits each for the 

month, day, and year that the vehicle was disposed. For example, if the vehicle was 

disposed of on March 15,1991, code '031591.' If the month or day is unknown, code 

as '98.' The year should always be '91' (1991). If a year other than 1991 is indicated, 

flag the questionnaire and leave it for Benny or Jim D. If the date is missing, code as 

'989898.'

• Odometer Reading - Code as a six-digit number. Ignore tenths of a mile if they are 

given. Code leading zeros as necessary. If the 'Don't Know' box is checked, code 

as '99998$.' Coae as yayyya if No Answer.

799t RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-118
CODING THE ACQUISITION

Information concerning vehicle acquisitions is found on the two pages following the white 

computer-generated vehicle page(s). If Q C1 indicates that one or more vehicles have been 

acquired, the vehicle® should be described on Pages 6 and 7; that is, Qs C3 through C8 should 

be completed for the number of vehicles indicated in Q C2. If there is a discrepancy between 

the number of vehicles indicated in Q C2 and the number of vehicles described on Pages 6 and 

7, be sure that the number of vehicles described in Qs C3 through C8 is greater than the number 

in Q C2. Jf the opposite is true, set aside the questionnaire for Benny or Jim D.

Do not include motorcycles, very large trucks, or vehicles used solely for business.

Use one line on the coding form per acquired vehicle. There is room on the form to code up to 

four new vehicles. For each acquired vehicle, the following 11 fields must be coded:

• Household ID Number - Code the four-digit number found in the places described 

under the section 'CODING THE HOUSEHOLD CARD.'

« Vehicle Number ~ Code as a two-digit number using a leading zero. Care must be 

taken when assigning vehicle numbers to newly acquired vehicles. On the white 

vehicle inventory page(s), look for the highest vehicle number under which a vehicle 

is described. The vehicle number to assign to the first acquired vehicle(s) should be 

the next highest available vehicle number or the number '05,' whichever is higher. 

Increment subsequent vehicle numbers by 1.

Let's look at two examples. In the first example, the highest vehicle number under 

which a vehicle is described is '03' - the third vehicle (making the next highest 

available number '04'). The acquired vehicle, therefore, should be number '05' 

because H is the higher of the two numbers you should compare ('04,' for the next 

available number, and '05').

For the second example, the highest vehicle number under which a vehicle is 

described is '05.' The acquired vehicle, therefore, should be number '06' because it 

is the higher of the two numbers you should compare ('06,' for the next available 

number, and '05'}.

Be very careful about determining the new vehicle number. If you have any questions 

about what the new vehicle number should be, put the questionnaire aside for Benny 

or Jim 0.

« Vehicle Make Name - Use up to a maximum of 14 spaces. Watch for transpositions 

of vehicle make and model names. If No Answer, leave blank. Please print clearly.

« Vehicle Model Name - Use up to a maximum of 14 spaces. If No Answer, leave 

blank. For trucks, if the only model name provided is the tonnage capacity of the 

vehicle, code the tonnage. If both model name and tonnage are given, code the 

mode! name firsi ana ihen ihe lonnage, if n wiii fit. if you have any questions 

concerning make or model name, put the questionnaire aside for Benny or Jim D.

1991 RTECS Operations ManuallAppendix A-119
© Model Year - Code as a two-digit number. If No Answer, code as '98.' If a range is 

given for the mode! year, code the midpoint. For example, if 1981 -1983 is given, code as '82.'

• Vehicle Type - Code as a two-digit number. The types are preceded on the 

questionnaire. Code the leading zero, when necessary. If No Answer, code as '98.' 

Set aside the questionnaire for all cases where the vehicle is coded as 'Other.' Bring 

these to the attention of Benny or Jim D.

« Date Vehicle Acquired - Code a four-digit number for month and year of acquisition. 

Do not code day in this field. Use standard two-digit codes for month. As with 

dispositions, the year should be '91' (1991). If the date is missing, code as '9898.' 

Any problems should be set aside for Benny or Jim D.

• Question C6 (Do You Know the Odometer Reading?) -- Code as a single-digit 

number. If No Answer, code an '8.'

Check the skip off of Q C6. If Q C6 is answered 'Yes,' Q C7 - mileage and date - should be 

answered and Q C8 should be coded as Not Applicable ('9'). If Q C8 is answered 'No,' Q C7 - 

- mileage and date - should be coded as Not Applicable {both = '999999') and Q C8 should be 

answered. If Q C6 is not answered, but either Q C7 or C8 is, back edit Q C6 to the appropriate 

response.

• Odometer Reading - Code as a six-digit number. Ignore tenths of a mile if given. 

If Q C6 is 'Yes' and the odometer reading is blank, code as '999998.' If Not 

Applicable, code as '999999.'

• Odometer Reading Date - Code as a six-digit number according to the rules 

specified under the heading 'CODING THE DISPOSITION CARDS.' If a note refers to 

Today," refer to the call record sheet for the correct date. If Q C6 is 'Yes' and the date 

is blank, code as '989898.' If Not Applicable, code as '999999.'

• Was the Vehicle New When You Got ft? - Code as a single-digit number. If Q C6 

is 'No' and Q C8 is blank, code as '8.' tf Not Applicable, code as '9.'

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-120
1991 RESIDENTIAL TRANSPORTATIC.. ENERGY CONSUMPTION SURVEY

Mid-Year Coding Form

RT91 -w4 

092791

HOUSEHOLD CARD

HHID

(1-4)

CARD

(6)

LENGTH

OF INT'VW

(8-9)

PRICE

(11-13)

FUEL

TYPE

(15)

SERVICE

(17)

MOVE

IN '91?

(19)

JLjLJL I I

IS THERE A CHANGE IN ADDRESS, VEHICLE STOCK, OR VEHICLE INVENTORY??

VEHICLE DISPOSITION CARDS

3 

H

rn8

"8 

§

o 

en

0) 

SB.

Q. x'

VEH VEH DISP ODOMETER 

HHID CARD NUM DATE READING 

(1-4) (6) (8-9) (11-16) (18-23)

D

D

D

D

VEHICLE ACQUISITION CARDS

HHID

(1-4)

VEH 

CARD NUM

(fy___ (8-9)

A

MAKE NAME

(11-24)

MODEL NAME

(26-39)

VEH VEH

YEAR TYPE

(41-42) (44-45)

DATE ODOM

VEH Q. ODOM READ

ACQD C6 READ DATE

(47-50) (52) (54-59) (61-66) (68)

FO
RT91-36

1991 MID-YEAR DATA COLLECTION 

CODING AND DATA ENTRY CONTROL CARD

100291

DATA # (if used):

CODING

Coded Checked

DATA ENTRY

Keyed Verified

. Initial appropriate box as task is completed.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-122
October 17, 1991

TO: Benny (cc: Jim McB.)

FROM: Jim D.

SUBJECT: Processing RTECS Mid-Year Noncompletes and Address Changes

Now that the processing of the completed telephone questionnaires is underway, we should turn 

our attention to extracting useful information from the noncompleted questionnaires and returned 

mail. As a result, we'll be updating the household address database, creating a file of HHIDs for 

noncompletes and their corresponding result codes, and updating status codes, where 

necessary. Following is a brief outline of the tasks. Please look it over, think about tasks that 

I may have omitted, and let's get together and talk about it.

RETURNED MAIL

• Gather all of the returned mail and sort it by HHID.

• Sort it into two piles: No New Information vs. Useful Information. The "No New 

Information" pile can be retired,

• Sort the "Useful Information" pile by data collection type: Telephone vs. Mail.

• Sort each of the two piles, Telephone" and "Mail," into Completed vs. Noncompleted.

• The two "Completed" piles can be retired because we will use the information provided 

by the respondents on the questionnaires.

• Work with the two piles of "Noncompletes." Circle the new, useful information on the 

envelopes in red. Sort the pieces into two piles: Corrected information vs. New 

Address.

COMPLETED MAIL QUESTIONNAIRES

9 Transcribe any address/telephone information from the completed mail questionnaires 

onto two sheets of paper - one for address modifications and one for new addresses.

Have we done lookups for the returned mail and completed mail questionnaires? I believe we 

have for the returned mail, but how about completed mail questionnaires?

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Processing, Noncomplets/Returned Mail -- Page 1

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-123
"MIGHT THE HOUSEHOLD MOVE?' QUESTION

Like we did for the beginning-of-year questionnaire, we will produce a listing of all households 

who provided some information. We'll examine their responses and use the information if, in fact, 

it is useful.

NONCOMPLETE TELEPHONE QUESTIONNAIRES

• Sort the questionnaires into three piles: Refusals, Noncomplete -Telephone Problem 

(disconnect, wrong number, etc.), and Noncomplete - Other (No Answer, Answering 

Machine, Language Barrier, Other, etc.). Sort each of the piles by HH1D number.

« Look at all of the "Refusals." Sort into Soft vs. Hard Refusal.

• Look at the "Hard Refusals." Sort out any who you would consider as Untouchable.

• Examine each of the "Noncomplete -- Others" (where we made a contact of some sort) 

and look for anything unusual, such as respondent deceased or duplicate sample (the 

duplicate sample has me puzzled - I think the Phone Center dispoed [is "dispoed" a 

word???] two like that). Flag these somehow so that we can take a look at them.

« Examine the questionnaires in each of the piles for changes in the telephone or 

address information. Do not include changes to the telephone number for the 

"Noncomplete - Telephone Problem" pile. We will provide Anne W. with a file of these 

HHIDs and she will change the telephone number for all of these folks to "9999999999" 

using a dBase command or routine. When you transcribe the changes, use separate 

lists for address modifications vs. new addresses.

Finally, we are already taking care of telephone/address changes from the telephone 

questionnaires. At this point, we should have covered all the bases related to extracting the most 

up-to-date address information possible. We will, of course, need to update the household 

address database at this point.

What else can we get from these deads? Have we covered it all here? Let me know when 

you're ready to talk. I'd like to target the end of the month to complete all of this work.

On other matters, I told Jim McB. that we really should have an updated HVI for the End-of-Year 

procedures that incorporate the Beginning-of-Year and Mid-Year data. Currently, we have a very 

slightly modified version of the original file (for Mid-Year work, he merged all of the data in a SAS 

program but did not produce an updated file). If he creates the new file, which 1 believe he will, 

we can tie up all of the loose ends from the first two contacts. These tasks mostly deal with 

incorporating data from the completed mail questionnaires, since he will have all the data from 

the telephone questionnaires in existing datasets.

1991 RTECS Mid-Year Processing, Noncompiets/Returned Mail - Page 2

1981 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-124
1991 RTECS CODING FORM -- BEGINNINv r-YEAR AND MID-YEAR MAIL COMPLETES RT91-37

ji 

HHID

•""" -'". ""

VEH

#

ACQUIRED VEHICLES

ACQ 

i COD

i

i

1 

]

MAKE 

NAME

MODEL 

NAME

MDL 

YR

VEH 

TYP

ACQ 

DATE

BEGIN-OF-YEAR

ODM 

RDG

ODM 

DAT

MID-YEAR

ODM 

RDG

ODM 

DAT

DISPOSED VEHICLES

DSP 

COD

ODM 

RDG

ODM 

DAT

BACIC
lepartment ©I Ene«

Washington, DC 20585

January 1992

Dear Resident:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) needs your help. During 1991, 

your household furnished us with vehicle information as part of 

DOE's Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS). 

We are now in the final phase of our survey, and ask for your 

cooperation in updating this vehicle information, so that we may 

conclude the survey. The DOE has contracted with Response Analysis 

Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey to collect this information 

from a scientific sample of households in the United States.

The RTECS is a voluntary survey conducted under the authority of 

the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), 

as amended. Your participation is very important to the success of 

this survey. Because this is a sample survey, your answers 

represent not only your household, but also thousands of other 

households like yours. There is no penalty for not responding, but 

each missing answer makes the national data on energy less 

accurate. For this reason, your participation in this voluntary 

survey is extremely important to ensure the completeness and 

accuracy of the final results. Your cooperation will be a service 

to the country.

The information you provide and your identity will be held 

confidential in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 

of 1974. (See the statement on the other side of this letter for 

further details on the Privacy Act.) The DOE will publish the 

aggregated data in a series of statistical reports.

If your have any questions about the survey, please call collect to 

Jim Devlin, Response Analysis Corporation at (609) 921-3333.

We very much appreciate your continuing cooperation. If you wish 

to contact someone at the Department of Energy about the survey, 

please call Ron Lambrecht at (202) 586-4962.

Sincerely,

Director

Office of Energy Markets and End Use

Energy Information Administration

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-126
PRIVACY ACT NOTICE

The Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is being 

conducted by the Response Analysis Corporation for the U.S. 

Department of Energy. It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Lav/ 93-275) , as 

amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information on vehicles 

used by households for personal use. This information helps the 

Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to administer 

programs, monitor energy usage, and plan for our energy future.

Once the data about vehicle characteristics and odometer readings 

have been linked with the information describing your household and 

we have concluded our planned contacts with your household, all 

information linking the data with your name and address will be 

destroyed.

The Department of Energy will receive only your answers, not your 

name or address. Your answers will be screened to protect your 

identity; neither the Department of Energy, nor any other 

Government agency, will be able to locate your household.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary.

PUBLIC REPORTING BURDEN

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is 

estimated to average 10 minutes for the telephone interview.

Send comments regarding public reporting burden or any other aspect 

of this collection of information, including suggestions for 

reducing this burden, to:

Energy Information Administration 

Office of Statistical Standards 

El-73, Room 201 

1707 H Street, N.W. 

Washington, DC 20585

and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 

Office of Management and Budget 

Washington, DC 20503

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-127
RESPONSEANALYSIS

37 7 WALL STREET 

POST OFFICE BOX 158 

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY O8542 

(6O9) 921-3333

An employee- owned company

January 1992

Thank You!

Over the past year your household has been helpful in providing Response Analysis Corporation 

with vital information about your household vehicles. The 1991 Residential Transportation 

Energy Consumption Survey {RTECS) furnishes the Department of Energy information about the 

use and fuel consumption of vehicles used for personal transportation on the road today.

We need your assistance with the closing phase of the survey. During this contact, we need to 

update our records of your household vehicles and to collect information regarding their use 

during the past year. Your cooperation is especially important because your household, which 

cannot be replaced in the survey, represents thousands of other households that have similar 

vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us in this final phase by completing the enclosed cards. This will 

only take a few minutes. We have enclosed an instruction page that explains how to use the 

cards.

After you fill out the cards, please keep them near your telephone. We will be calling you within 

the next week or two to collect the information you have recorded on the cards.

I am enclosing a letter from W. Calvin Kilgore of the Energy Information Administration. Please 

note that all information that you provide will be kept strictly confidential. No information that 

can be linked to your name or address will ever be furnished to the Department of Energy or to 

any other government agency.

Your voluntary participation in the concluding phase of the 1991 RTECS is very important to the 

success of this research. Please call me collect at (609) 921-3333 if you have any questions 

about this survey.

Thank you again for your continued cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Jim Devlin

ouivey

Response Analysis Corporation

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-128
37 7 WALL STREET 

POST OFFICE BOX 158 

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY O8542 

(609)921-3333

An employee owned company

January 1992

Thank You!

Over the past year your household has been helpful in providing Response Analysis Corporation 

with vital information about your household vehicles. The 1991 Residential Transportation 

Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) furnishes the Department of Energy information about the 

use and fuel consumption of vehicles used for personal transportation on the road today.

We need your assistance with the closing phase of the survey. During this contact, we need to 

update our records of your household vehicles and to collect information regarding their use 

during the past year. Your cooperation is especially important because your household, which 

cannot be replaced in the survey, represents thousands of other households that have similar 

vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us in this final phase by completing the enclosed cards. This will 

only take a few minutes. We have enclosed an instruction page that explains how to use the 

cards.

After you fili out the cards, please return them using the self-addressed, postage-paid envelope 

that we have included in the mailing.

I am enclosing a letter from W. Calvin Kilgore of the Energy Information Administration. Please 

note that all information that you provide will be kept strictly confidential. No information that 

can be linked to your name or address will ever be furnished to the Department of Energy or to 

any other government agency.

Your voluntary participation in the concluding phase of the 1991 RTECS is very important to the 

success of this research. Please call me collect at (609) 921-3333 if you have any questions 

about this survey.

Thank you again for your continued cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Jim Devlin

Survey Manager

Response Analysis Corporation

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-12S
1991 Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey SS 

End-of-Year Odometer Reading Card E*pires 9'3°'93

THIS CARD IS FOR YOUR:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

Please put this card in your vehicle and write down the total 

mileage (odometer reading) after the last use of this vehicle

MILES on MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1992.

After you have filled out the information requested, please keep this card near your telephone. We will be calling you to 

get the information. Or, if you will be difficult to reach by phone, call collect to Jim Devlin at (609) 921-3333.

Please 'see the other side of this card for additional instructions.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

EIA-876C

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-130
FORM APPROVAL: EIA-876A(1991) 

OMB NO: 1905-0G68 

EXPIRES: 9/30/93

1991 RESIDENTIAL TRANSPORTATION SURVEY

TO USE THE 

read this before out any cards)

1 There are two different types of cards:

S END-OF-YEAR ODOMETER CARDS

and 

/ VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIM) CARDS

2 The label in the upper-right corner of the card identifies which vehicle that the card is for. 

For each vehicle that you told us about, we have affixed a label stating the MAKE, 

MODEL, YEAR, and TYPE of the vehicle.

We also sent you one ODOMETER CARD and one VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION CARD 

where the label was left blank. Set these two blank cards aside for now.

3 Please fill out each ODOMETER CARD that has been labeled for a specific vehicle 

according to the instructions on the card,

4 The blank ODOMETER CARD is for any vehicle that you may have acquired since we last 

contacted you. Because we are unaware of this newly acquired vehicle, we did not fill 

out the MAKE, MODEL, YEAR, and TYPE specifications on the label. Please provide the 

information indicated on the label and record the odometer reading according to the 

instructions on the card.

5 We have also included a blank VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) CARD for any 

vehicle that you may have acquired since we last contacted you. The VIN contains 

information on engine and vehicle specifications which help us to estimate the vehicle's 

fuel economy. Please fill out the card according to the instructions on the card.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-131
FORM APPROVAL: EIA-S78A(1S91) 

OMB NO: 1905-0068 

EXPIRES: 9/30/93

1991 RESIDENTIAL TRANSPORTATION ENERGY CONSUMPTION SURVEY

HOW TO USE THE END&F-YEAR ODOMETER CARDS 

(Please read this before filling out any cards)

The label in the upper-right corner of the card identifies which vehicle that the card is for. 

For each vehicle that you told us about, we have affixed a label stating the MAKE, 

MODEL, YEAR, and TYPE of the vehicle.

We also sent you one ODOMETER CARD where the label was left blank. Set the blank 

card aside for now.

2 Please fill out each ODOMETER CARD that has been labeled for a specific vehicle 

according to the instructions on the card.

The blank ODOMETER CARD is for any vehicle that you may have acquired since we last 

contacted you. Because we are unaware of this newly acquired vehicle, we did not fill 

out the MAKE, MODEL, YEAR, and TYPE specifications on the label. Please provide the 

information indicated on the label and record the odometer reading according to the 

instructions on the card.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-132
RT91-41 

011492

1991 Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (FtTECS) 

interviewer instructions for the End-of-Year Questionnaire

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) is conducted every three 

years. Three contacts are attempted with eligible households over the duration of the study. 

Those contacts are made at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the calendar year for 

which the RTECS is being conducted. This contact is the end-of-year data collection.

Approximately 5,100 households completed a survey of household energy use called RECS 

during Fall 1990/Winter 1991. Households are randomly selected to participate in the RTECS 

from among this group.

There are 3,045 households in the RTECS sample. We will attempt to contact 2,531 households 

by telephone and 485 households by mail; 29 households will not be contacted.

The vehicle information on page 2 of the sample was obtained from the RECS and from the two 

previous (beginning-of-year and mid-year) RTECS contacts.

This is the final of three contacts that we will attempt to make with the households participating 

in the RTECS.

Both the RTECS and RECS are sponsored by the United States Department of Energy (DOE).

THE RTECS SAMPLE

The sample of 2,531 RTECS telephone households is divided into four groups of roughly 630 

households per group. The group sizes range from 592 to 672 households.

The four groups have 'target dates" of January 13, January 20, January 27 and February 3.

The "target date" is the date on which we ask the household to record the total mileage 

(odometer reading) for each of their household vehicles. For telephone households, we begin 

calling to collect the data on the evening following each target date.

1981 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-133
DATA COLLECTION MATERIALS

Data collection materials are mailed to each household approximately one week prior to the 

household's assigned target date. These materials include:

/ A letter from Response Analysis explaining the survey.

</ A letter from the Department of Energy asking for cooperation; this letter includes a 

privacy statement.

•/ Odometer Cards - one card for each vehicle described on page 2 of the sample and 

one blank card for an extra vehicle that we don't know about.

y VIN Cards - most households received one blank card for an extra vehicle. Only 

households who have previously refused to provide a VIN did not receive this card.

/ An instruction page for filling out the cards. There are two versions of this page - one 

version that includes instructions for filling out both types of cards and a second 

version that applies only to the odometer cards.

An example of each of these materials is provided in the Appendix.

SAMPLE MANAGEMENT

The sample will be managed ON PAPER. NOT ON THE CATI SYSTEMS You must clearly 

indicate the results of each call on the Call Record Sheet.

CALLING SCHEDULE

The calling schedule for RTECS is as follows:

y Maximum of two weekday-daytime calls (before 6 PM local time). 

/ At least two weekday-evening attempts out of eight call attempts.

V fl» ,-!.„ ! _„!„ TO) tins vvc&l wo<a:>l, cVGNiny meauo wciVvoon & r m oi'io

Eastern Standard Time. 

At least two weekend attempts out of eight attempts.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-134
S Space your calls at least 2 hours..apart the respondent requests otherwise.

/ Vary your calling times. Do not always call at the same time of day.

«/ Maximum of two on any one day.

Exception: if a specific time is as the best time to call or the 

respondent has you to call back later in the day.

/ Do not make any call after 10 PM local time, unless you were asked to call then or 

unless it is a call to a time zone west of the Central Time Zone.

THE SAMPLE

The sample consists of three pages: Page 1 - the Gall Record Sheet; Page 2 -- Codes to Begin 

Interview and Vehicle Information; and, Page 3 - Callback Form for Odometer Readings and 

VINs.

PAGE 1, THE CALL RECORD

Be neat and write legibly when you mark the Call Record Sheet.

CALL RESULTS 

Call Back

Clearly indicate the date and time of the callback. Record callback time in Eastern Standard 

Time; be sure to mark "EST."

CATI mid-interview callbacks and terminates should be scheduled by the Household ID 

Number, not the last name.

Answering Machine

Do not leave a message unless informed otherwise by your supervisor. We may decide to 

leave a message toward the end of the field period.

No Answer

Let the phone ring at least twelve times without being answered before recording "NA".

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-135
Busy Signa!

Make several attempts to get the call through before marking "BUSY1 .

Refusal

Mark "REFUS" if the household will not participate. Specify the refusal as "hard" or "soft" 

and make a brief note regarding the gist of what the respondent has said. Use verbatims; 

include frank language if you feel it is necessary.

Complete

Mark "COMP" if you have obtained a completed interview; that is, you have obtained all of 

the necessary information. If a callback is required, even for only one odometer reading or 

VIN, then "CB" should be marked, not "COMP" on the Call Record Sheet.

THE HOUSEHOLD ADDRESS LABEL

The household address labels contains many items of information that you will need to know to 

conduct an interview. The key items include the household ID number, respondent's name, and 

telephone number. Other information found on the label is the time zone code, target date, and 

household mailing address. An example of the address label that is used on the Call Record 

Sheet is illustrated below.

Time Zone Code: E=Eastem, C=Central, M=Mountain, P=Paciflc, A=Alaskan, H=Hawaiian

Household 10 #

E T-1000-Jan 13 

MR. JOHN SMITH 

123 MAIN STREET 

SMALLTOWN, NJ 08600 

609-921-0000

Mailing Address Target Date: Date that the household was

asked to use for recording odometer 

readings for their vehicles

Telephone Number: If the number is clearly wrong or a message says that the number is disconnected or not in 

service, dial 1-[area code]-555-1212 (directory assistance) and try to get a new phone number. 

Record the new number, if you get one, on the address label.

Only the telephone number need be corrected.

1991 HTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-136
PAGE 2 - HOUSEHOLD AND

The items of information found at the top of the page must be entered before beginning the 

interview.

Up to eight vehicles are described on this page (typically a household will have only a couple). 

The vehicle information (vehicle type, year, make, and model) is listed from the top of the page 

down. Do not be concerned with gaps in the vehicle numbers.

There are a few cases where there will appear to be a missing vehicle (there will be a blank 

template before or between the vehicles described. This indicates that we know of a vehicle but 

know nothing about that vehicle. Probe for the information.

Page 2 for no-vehicle households only have the items of information needed to begin the 

interview. Note the vehicle number 13. "13" is the code we use to tell CATI that the household 

has no vehicles.

Ignore the blank templates.

The blank lines to the right of the vehicle descriptions are for recording corrected vehicle 

information.

PAGE 3 - CALLBACK

This boxes are checked during the course of the interview or at its conclusion when a required 

odometer reading or V1N Is not obtained for one or more vehicles.

Except for new vehicles that we learn of in Module C (see Page 7), you need only check the 

appropriate box for the vehicle(s) for which you'll need to ask for information at the end of the 

interview. For new vehicles, you must also record the year, make, and model of the vehicle.

INITIATING A CALL

Before initiating a call, you must enter the four items of information found on page 2 of the 

sample: the household ID number (a unique case identifier), the target date, a VIN flag code, 

and the numbers of the household vehicle(s} (NOT the quantity of household vehicles).

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-137
After entering these four items, the introduction screen is displayed and you are then ready to 

dial the phone.

LEAVING THE INTRODUCTION SCREEN

There are two codes available for use through which you can leave the introduction screen - 

Code 1 and Code 2.

Do NOT leave the introduction screen by using "HALT1 and then entering a disposition. If you 

must leave the piece of sample, use Code 2.

CODE 1 - CONTINUE INTO CATI QUESTIONNAIRE

Entering Code 1 will take you into the CATI questionnaire. Proceed with the interview.

CODE 2 - A NONINTERVIEW (MOVE TO NEXT PIECE OF SAMPLE)

Enter Code 2 when you want to leave the intro screen because you are unable to make contact 

with the household or when the contact results in a noninterview. Entering Code 2 will take you 

out of the record for the current piece of sample and allow you to prepare for the next interview.

Common situations that result in entering Code 2 include refusals, busy signals, no answers, 

answering machines, and disconnects/wrong numbers. Remember to always mark the actual 

call result on the Call Record Sheet.

FLOW OF THE RTECS CATI QUESTIONNAIRE

The end-of-year RTECS CATI is divided into five modules:

/ Module A Questions: These questions pertain to vehicles that we already know 

about (vehicle numbers 1-8 on page 2 of the sample) and that the household still has.

OIX aOUlUOIIcii ljue&uui itt eiuout veinoi'c Ciiai aCtofiSiiCS afe ctGGovi iC iviGuuiS t-\ .C,"

vehicle numbers 5-8.

Module B Questions: These questions pertain to vehicles that we already know 

about but that the household has disposed of.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-1 38
Module C Questions: These questions pertain to vehicles that the household 

currently has that we don't already know about (they are not listed on page 2 of the 

sample). Most of the questions are exactly the same as those in Module A.

Module D Questions: These questions are only asked of households who do not 

have any vehicles listed on page 2 of the sample and who verify that they still do not 

have any vehicles. The questions relate to the use of alternate modes of 

transportation.

Module E Questions: These questions, asked of every household, concern the use 

of other types of motorized vehicles.

GENERAL RTECS CAT! INTERVIEWING PROCEDURES

We have provided "OTHER" as a response category for selected, but not all, questions. If an 

"OTHER" response is given but is not offered as an answer category, please use the <ESC> key 

and make a note. Notes are particularly important to RTECS and we encourage you to make 

them - WE DO READ ALL OF THE NOTES!

We want to collect as much information as possible from the respondents during the initial 

contact. Therefore, CAT1 may prompt you to check certain boxes on page 3 of the sample so 

that you can ask the respondent to get the required odometer readings and/or VINs while you 

wait on the phone. It's OK to wait as long as is needed to get the maximum amount of 

information on the first contact!

The first two questions ask the respondent whether the respondent received and filled out the 

cards and if he or she will bring them to the phone. These questions (aside from being used to 

skip properly through CATI) set up the interview and prepare you for what to expect regarding 

the odometer and VIN cards (i.e., might you have to ask the respondent to get the odometer 

readings while you wait). Regardless of how these first two questions are answered, CATI will 

take you right into the interview.

For RTECS, it is fine to accept a "DONT KNOW." You may probe when you feel it is appropriate 

but do not force a response or ask for a guess.

When asking about the second and subsequent vehicles for a household, you need not read the 

question verbatim. You may paraphrase a question to make it shorter but be careful not to 

change the meaning of the question.

1901 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendte A-139
MODULE A- VEHICLES IN CURRENT HOUSEHOLD INVENTORY 

Q A3: Do you still have the vehicle?

Under certain circumstances (the household didn't get or fill out their cards or they filled them 

out and will not get them), CAT! will ask you to mark page 3 of the sample when the respondent 

says that they no longer have a vehicle. It is very important to do so, as the summary screen 

will display the vehicle and prompt you to ask for an odometer reading for the disposed vehicle.

QA4: Have I described H correctly?

Mark corrections on the blank lines to the right of the vehicle description on page 2 of the 

sample.

Look for Incomplete vehicle descriptions and prompt the respondent for the information.

Qs A5 - A7: Odometer reading (pronounced: O-DOI\/l'-E-TER)

The screen options for the odometer reading are either a legitimate reading or "999999" - that 

is, you either get the odometer reading or you don't. Select "999999" if you don't get an 

odometer reading regardless of the reason. If you select "999999," a prompt will instruct you to 

mark page 3 of the sample and ask for the odometer reading later. You may want to note 

unusual situations (such as a refusal to give the odometer reading) on page 3 of the sample so 

that you don't ask for the odometer reading needlessly later on.

Do not try to record tenths of miles. Ignore the tenths, if given by the respondent.

Do not accept estimated odometer readings. We want the respondents to get the actual 

odometer readings from the vehicles.

Qs A9 - A14: Vehicle Characteristics

These questions are asked only of vehicle numbers 5-8. Do not be concerned if this series of 

questions appears to be "missing."

QA9: Type of Transmission

Maniis! shift ;s also callsd "standard shift" c: "stick chift."

Vehicles equipped with manual shift have a clutch pedal. Vehicles equipped with an automatic 

transmission DO NOT have a clutch pedai.

1991 BTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-140
Qs A15 - A18:

These questions to the PASTYEAR and of fuel is USUALLY purchased.

QA15: Type of Fuel

ETHANOL BLEND is GASOHOL (gasoline

Qs A17& A20: Grade of Fuel

MIDGRADE means "higher quaiity (higher octane) regular, but not as high (quality or octane) 

as premium."

If the respondent mentions the octane rating of the fuel, to the srnail, blue "Octane Rating - 

-> Fuel Grade Conversion Chart" supplied with your training

Qs A19 • A20: Most Purchase

These questions refer to the LAST TIME FUEL WAS PURCHASED.

Qs A21 & A23; Type of Driving/Source of

Read these questions verbatim even though they are long.

QsA26-A28: Commuting

Record miles and mjnutes for commuting one-way, not trip.

MODULES:

Q B3: Odometer Reading

This is the one place where an estimated odometer reading is acceptable (in all but a few cases, 

an estimated odometer reading will be the only type of reading you can get).

MODULE C: NEWLY^ACQUIRED VEHICLES

!p **!! b|jr* ? f^V iinii&ijsi! ntrnHm^fjancpjs these vehicles hsmo he>«*n artnuirnri hv the* t ... - __.-._._.. ....... _..„.. _. j ,....„,, . ^ _ . . „ .,„,.. ...... ^ . v.

since our last contact with them. That contact could have been sometime between Fall 1 990 and 

Summer 1991.

Operations Manual/Appendix A-141
Q C1: Do you have any other vehicles?

DO NOT count motorcycles, mopeds, very heavy trucks, or vehicles used strictly for business 

purposes.

DO count company cars, trucks, and vans IF they are also used for personal reasons. Also 

count vehicles if they belong to lodgers, students, and relatives who live in the household.

Q C3: Please tell me the make, model name, and year of the vehicle.

Get as much make and model information as you can. Use your common knowledge of 

vehicles. Probe what you believe are incorrect make/model configurations (such as a Chevrolet 

Taurus, Dodge Grand Am, etc.).

If a range is given for model year, take the midpoint. For example, if the respondent says "It's 

an '86 or an '88, I don't know," use 1987 as the model year.

If the make or model is unknown, enter "DK."

Q C4: What type of vehicle is it?

If the respondent says that the vehicle type is a "VAN", probe for whether he or she considers 

it to be a LARGE VAN or a MINI VAN.

Qs C6 - C8: Odometer Reading.

See the rules for odometer readings under "MODULE A: VEHICLES IN CURRENT HOUSEHOLD 

INVENTORY."

Qs C9 - C10 (Q AS): Asking for the VIN

Some respondents may be sensitive to their Vehicle Identification Numbers. If the respondent 

questions the function of the VIN or why we want it, refer to the blue 'VIN Explanation" card 

supplied with your training materials.

The VIN is also called the "ID #", "Serial #", "Factory #", and "Motor ID #."

The VIN usually consists of 17 letters and numbers (i.e., AG12345KLMN123456), but may be 

shorter than 17 characters. Do NOT question the respondent if he or she gives you a VIN that 

is not the "right length" - accept what he or she gives you. If the VIN is longer than 17 

characters, accept the first 17.

Always verify the VIN by reading it back to the respondent!

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-142
QsC11 -C30

These questions are exactly the same as Qs A9 - A28, except for Qs C17 - C21 which refer to 

purchasing fuel "during the past year" ("A" questions) vs. "generally" purchasing fuel ("C" 

questions).

MODULE D: ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION

This series of questions is asked of no-vehicle households who confirm that they still don't have 

a vehicle. For the roughly 10% of households who qualify to be asked these questions, we are 

attempting to find out how, if at all, they get around.

MODULE E: OTHER MOTOR VEHICLES

The questionnaire can accommodate responses for two additional motorized vehicles, (f the 

respondent indicates that he or she has more than two such vehicles, accept the responses for 

the first two that are mentioned.

Be sure to get a thorough description of the vehicle.

Any other type of vehicle may be mentioned here. Include such vehicles as motorcycles, motor 

boats, airplanes, tractors, large trucks, taxis, etc. If in doubt, include it. Make notes as 

necessary.

MID-INTERVIEW TERMINATES

Mid-interview terminates should be scheduled as a callback on CATI.

Schedule the callback for April 1,1992 (you will enter "APR t").

Mark the Call Record Sheet with the actual result of the call ("REFUS"). Note the severity (hard 

vs. soft) and nature of the refusal on the Call Record Sheet.

File all mid-interview callbacks on CATI by Household ID Number!!!!!

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-
MID-INTERVIEW CALLBACKS

For legitimate mid-interview callbacks, schedule a CAT! callback using the actual date and time 

specified by the respondent. If the respondent is vague or has no preference, schedule the CAT! 

callback for the next day at approximately the same time.

Mark "CB" and clearly note the scheduled date and time of the callback on the Call Record 

Sheet.

If you call back a mid-interview callback and do not get an interview, you must reschedule this 

in the proper manner as a CATI callback - DO NOT DISPOSITION A MID-INTERVIEW CALLBACK 

ANY OTHER WAY! Disposition the actual result on the Call Record Sheet.

File all mid-interview callbacks on CATI by Household ID Number!!!!!

THE SUMMARY SCREEN

After you finish asking Module E, two summary screens will appear. These screens provide 

instructions on how to proceed. The second screen includes a display of which items, if any, 

you must now ask the respondent to get for you.

Note that under certain conditions the summary screen will prompt you to ask for an odometer 

reading for a vehicle(s) that the household no longer has (see Q A3). Therefore, it is very 

important to mark a vehicle as "Disposed" on page 3 of the sample when prompted by CATI.

Always take a few moments to review the summary screen at the conclusion of the interview even 

if you are confident that you know how to proceed. There are a couple of situations which can 

occur. They are described below.

COMPLETED INTERVIEW, ALL INFORMATION OBTAINED

You will have obtained all of the required information in one contact for the majority of interviews 

that you will conduct.

At the summary screen, thank the respondent and end the interview. Be sure to circle "COMP" 

and record the call information on the Call Record Sheet before continuing with the next piece 

of sample.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-144
Remember, the interview is not complete unless we get all of the necessary odometer readings 

and VINs. However, there will be occasions when you collect all the necessary information 

except for one or more odometer readings and/or VINs,

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED, CALLBACK REQUIRED

Review the summary screen and check it against your Callback Form. Be sure that you have 

checked all of the boxes for vehicles for which you must ask for further Information. This 

is very important as one condition will not generate a summary of which information to ask for.

Remember, we want to get as much information as possible while we have the respondent on 

the phone. At this time, ask the respondent if he or she is willing to get the information that you 

need.

If the respondent is willing to get the information, remind him or her about which items (odometer 

reading or VIN) you need for which vehicles. Record the information on page 3. !f you get all 

of the information you need, this is now a completed interview. Proceed as described above.

If the respondent is unwilling to get the information or if you don't get aH of the required 

information during the call, you must arrange for a callback. On the Call Record Sheet, circle the 

call result V (OTHER) and mark "PCM" (for Partial Complete) under "Notes." Clearly note the 

date and time of the callback on the Call Record Sheet. At this time, the CATI portion of the 

interview is complete.

CALLING BACK FOR MISSING INFORMATION

Use the prepared script for callbacks to collect missing information. You may have to further 

remind the respondent of who you are and why you are calling.

Record the odometer readings and/or VINs that you obtain in the callback in the spaces provided 

to the right of or below the Vehicle # on page 3 of the sample.

Mark the Call Record Sheet for the call. If you have obtained all of the missing information, the 

interview is now complete. If information is still missing, repeat callbacks as necessary.

1081 Operations Manual/Appendix A-145
APPENDIX

DATA COLLECTION MATERIALS 

MAILED TO RESPONDENTS

•/ Letter from the Department of Energy

S Letter from Response Analysis

,/ Odometer Card

,? VINCard

y instruction Page - Odometer and VIN Cards

/ Instruction Page - Odometer Card Only

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-146
Department of Energy

Washington. DC 20585

January 1992

Dear Resident:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) needs your help. During 1991, 

your household furnished us with vehicle information as part of 

DOE's Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) . 

We are now in the final phase of our survey, and ask for your 

cooperation in updating this vehicle information, so that we may 

conclude the survey. The DOE has contracted with Response Analysis 

Corporation of Prince-con, New Jersey to collect this information 

from a scientific sample of households in the United States.

The RTECS is a voluntary survey conducted under the authority of 

the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), 

as amended. Your participation is very important to the success of 

this survey. Because this is a sample survey, your answers 

represent not only your household, but also thousands of other 

households like yours. There is no penalty for not responding, but 

each missing answer makes the national data on energy less 

accurate. For this reason, your participation in this voluntary 

survey is extremely important to ensure the completeness and 

accuracy of the final results. Your cooperation will be a service 

to the country.

The information you provide and your identity will be held 

confidential in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act 

of 1974. (See the statement on the other side of this letter for 

further details on the Privacy Act.) The DOE will publish the 

aggregated data in a series of statistical reports.

If your have any questions about the survey, please call collect to 

Jim Devlin, Response Analysis Corporation at (609) 921-3333.

We very much appreciate your continuing cooperation. If you wish 

to contact someone at the Department of Energy about the survey, 

please call Ron Lambrecht at (202) 586-4962.

Sincerely,

W. Calvin Kilgore

Director

Office of Energy Markets and End Use

Energy Information Administration

1991 RTECS End-of-Y«ar Interviewer Instructions, Pag© 15

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-147
Latter from the Department of Energy (Back)

PRIVACY ACT NOTICE

The Residential Transportation Energy Consumption Survey is being 

conducted by the Response Analysis Corporation for the U.S. 

Department of Energy. It is authorized under Section 52 of the 

Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as 

amended.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information on vehicles 

used by households for personal use. This information helps the 

Department of Energy and other Federal agencies to administer 

programs, monitor energy usage, and plan for our energy future.

Once the data about vehicle characteristics and odometer readings 

have been linked with the information describing your household and 

we have concluded our planned contacts with your household, all 

information linking the data with your name and address will be 

destroyed.

The Department of Energy will, receive only vour answers, not your 

name or address. Your answers will be screened _to protect your 

identity; neither __the Department of Energy. nor any other 

Government agency, will be able to locate your household.

Vour participation in this survey is voluntary.

PUBLIC REPORTING BURDEN

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is 

estimated to average 10 minutes for the telephone interview.

Send comments regarding public reporting burden or any other aspect 

of this collection of information, including suggestions for 

reducing this burden, to:

Energy Information Administration 

Office of Statistical Standards 

El-73, Room 201 

1707 H Street, N.W. 

Washington, DC 20585

and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 

Office of Management and Budget 

Washington, DC 20503

1991 RTECS End-of-Y«sr Interviewer Instructions, Ptg@ 1S

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appandix A-148
Letter from R®spom@ Analysis

R^PONSEANALYSiS

17 7 WAU STREET 

POST OFHCE BOX 158 

PBINCETON. NEW JERSEY O8S42 

<6CW 921-3333

January 1992

Thank Youl

Over the past year your household has been helpful in providing Responsa Analysis Corporation 

with vital information about your household vahicias. The 1991 Residential Transportation 

Energy Consumption Survey (RTECS) furnishes the Department of Energy information about the 

use and fuel consumption of vehicles used for personal transportation on the road today.

We need your assistance with the closing phase of the survey. During this contact, we need to 

update our records of your household vehicles and to collect information regarding their use 

during the past year. Your cooperation is especially important because your household, which 

cannot be replaced in the survey, represents thousands of other households that have similar 

vehicles.

We hope that you will assist us in this final phase by completing the enclosed cards. This will 

only take a few minutes. We have enclosed an instruction page that explains how to use the 

cards.

After you fill out the cards, pleao* kM^JftmrnMftvmrttiBptenai We will be calling you within 

the next week or two to collect the information you have recorded on the cards.

1 am enclosing a letter from W. Calvin Kilgore of the Energy Information Administration. Please 

note that all information that you provide will be kept strictly confidential. No information that 

can be linked to your name or address will ever be furnished to the Department of Energy or to 

any other government agency.

Your voluntary participation in the concluding phase of the 1 991 RTECS is very important to the 

success of this research. Please call me collect at (609) 921-3333 if you have any questions 

about this survey.

Thank you again for your continued cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Jim Oevlin

Survey Manager

Response Analysis Corporation

1991 RTECS End-of-Ytir Interviewer instruction*, Page 17

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-149
1991 Roaktonttei Transportation Energy 

End-of-Ysar Odomats? Handing Card

THiS IS FOR YOUB:

U S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

Pleas* put this cord in your vehicle and write (town the total 

mileage (odometer reading) after the last us« of this vehseis

on MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 1992.

MILES

After you have filled out the information requested, plsa*. k^ this card in-sr . get tri information. Or, if you will be dlfttcutt to reach toy phone, call coMsct to Jim Devlm at (609)

Please see the othsr sid« of this card for additional instructions.

*"'

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

EIAS78C

PLEASE READ THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS CARD FIRST

Additional instructions:

If your miteags rrattsr (odorreter) registers tanths of mite«, thewi and record wrtote numbsr of mitea only.

If vehicle is not used on th@ day and date given on the other sicte of ttils card, please record the total mileage (odometer 

reading) as of that day.

If the mNeage mettr (odommer) not work, just lot us know that

One extra Odometer Reading Card wu tsrtt to you.

If your household now owns or roguferty uses any rapteOKiMnt or addHtonai vsWete that we didn't send an Odometw

Reading Card for, use U» extra card for that veMete, and fill in the TYPE. YEAR, MAKE, and MODEL NAME on the card

labet.

1991 RTECS End-of-Ytar Interviewer Instruction*, Page 18

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-150
Card (Front and Back)

1991 Residential TranaportatSen En®rgy Consumption Survey

Vehicle IdsntJfleatton Nuruiwr Card era

THIS CARD IS FOR YOUR:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

in order tor ua to ewmax* in* tutt atficwtcy o( this vehicle, it would M Iwlofut to know ma VsMett t*MW<ftattfeJfl NutnBer (VIH).

The VIN provide* information that allows researchers to estmwt* fu*4 economy lor all typM of can, trucks and other vvrucmi. In mis turwy. your

veniews will represent those from thouundt ot other household* mat haw mtrtar vehtctsa.

The VIN i* a set of codes assigned to a v*nicM at the factory which, when decoded, describe several ot the wshxete'e charactensoca. Th«®

characteristics may then b« u*«d to cateuist® an mimatM mrtes per gallon tor that ep«cific typv ot vatncia.

No information finking your nam* end addrrao with the data you provxj* witt ba givso to the Dvcvtnwnt ot Enargy, or any ottm govern mi-r,-f eoency. 

Oats pravidad to me O*p«tirMnt of Erwgy mil tw screened to prottct m* identity of indhnduiU nouuneut*.

PLEASE SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS CARD FOR ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS ON WHERE TO RND THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION 

NUMBER.

; For the vahicM a*aenb*d at th« tog of thii card, plua* earafully raeorfl m Vahlcte Momtttcotion Wumtoe? DeWw. 

Chack her* if you cannot find m« Vsftcls Identification Numoor LJ.

Aft*f you ftav* fittad out ir» information requutod. pIMa* return mia card nmr your tatapnom. Wa tmH t» caUflg you So gsl tfra informaaan. If you «nU 

be difficult to reach by phon*. at if you haw any qumtiona about trtH ourvay, call colKci to Jim D«v«n it (60S) 921-3333.

EIA-876O1 THANK YOU FCfl YOUR HELP

PLEASE READ THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS CARD FIRST

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS ON WHERE TO RHD THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

The VvriicM WemHieatJon Nufnow (VIN) » a comBinatton of digits and Mmn, it la utualty 17 lonwi and digita tong. Hera in an tuumpks of what irw 

VIN may Uok i*»:

1FABP28A6FF143880 

Th« V«hid« KJ«ntrrteBtkxi Numtwr may t» found In a number of placm:

s. On trie vetnd*.

Look (or a anttf metal Mod trw can M read wMte MamDng eutoW*

Look tor th* |*M on trw dnvWa wt« of the dasftCoard, or on th® winnow poa.

Somttima* it it on the drtvWn door. 

B. On the motor vehicle regwatton certtfleaM. 

c. On on inaunno* card or miunnc* policy for ttw whida. 

d. On the whiert m».

a. On a SUM rafety or «fniaatom mspwrton esrtrflectc. 

I. On the bi.H o< sal* for ttw vertict*.

Caution ... Ttw Vehlcto MantttteHlan Numbar la usually not found en your drive's Hcwm or on the v«Md« fiomm punra.

Onc» you haw located ma Vehicle ktumfflcaUon Numow, copy it down on ttw VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER CARD Bxactly sa ft appMre on u*s 

veNcte. or on th* document you are umng.

For ttw umBt* VIN gtnn abaTM. w» woyW wms:

vw: _LJLJL-L JL-LJLA JLi_L_L J.J.-LJ.-2.

W» ha« *am you on* VEHKXE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER CARD preprint** tor «ach vtfticte in trw hauscrioM — <»c*pt tor vvhiou wrnsa 

IctentmeaUon Numbers you have already prowM to us.

In Mdrlion. one extra VEHKXE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER CARD wn sent to you. If your household now owns or regular* use* a v»hicM mat w» ak» 

.iui mttmi « V« CASG iui, )<>•««• uwr in» «».m cwa KX- uwt v*mef«. and tin in (tw TYPE. YEAH. MAKE and MODEL NAME on ttw card 1*6*1.

1991 RTECS End-of-Y«ar Intervitwar iwrtruetloiMt, Page 16

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-151
instoettoo Page - Odometer and VIM Cards

FORM APPROVAL BA-S7BA(1S91) 

0MB NO: 1906-0068 

EXPIRES: 3/30/93

19S1 RESIDENTIAL TRANSPORTATION ENERGY CONSUMPTION SURVEY

HOW TO USE THE ENCLOSED CMOS 

(Pteaseiwta this betafB Slang om&ny cards)

1 There are two different types of cards:

/ END-OF-YEAR ODOMETER CARDS 

and

/ VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) CARDS

The label in the upper-right comer of the card identifies which vehlde that the card is for. 

For each vehlde that you told us about, we have affixed a label staling the MAKE, 

MODEL, YEAR, and TYPE of the vehteto.

We also sent you one ODOMETER CARD and one VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION CARD 

where the label was left blank. Set these two blank cards aside for now.

Please fill out each ODOMETER CARD that has been labeled for a specific vehicle 

according to the instructions on the card.

The blank ODOMETER CARD la tor any vehicle that you may have acquired since wa last 

contacted you. Becaus® we are unaware of this newly acquired vehtete, wa did not fill 

out the MAKE, MODEL, YEAR, and TYPE specifications on the label. Pleas* provide the 

information Indicated on the label and record the odometer reading according to the 

instructions on the card.

We have also Included a blank VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) CARD for any 

vehicle that you may have acquired since we last contacted you. The VIN contains 

information on engine and vehicle specifications which help us to estimate the vehicle's 

fuel economy. Pleas* fill out the card according to the Instructions on the card.

THANK YOU VERY MUCHI

1991 RTECS End-of-Y««r int«rvlewor Induction*, Page 20

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-152
FORM APPROVAL: EIA-876A(1391) 

0MB NO: 13G5-0038 

EXPIRES: 9/3W33

1991 RES5DENTTM.THA1ISPOKTAT1OM ENERGY "CONSUMPTION SURVEY

HOW TO USE THEfiND-OF-VEVI GOCAC7B? GftfiOS

fPteass reed tfife totem tilting out any carafe)

1 The label in tha upper-right comer of th© card identifies which vehicle that the card is for. 

For each vehide that you told us about, ws have affixed a iabsl stating the MAKE, 

MODEL, YEAH, and TYPE of the vehide.

We also sent you one ODOMETER CARD where the label was left blank. Set the blank 

card aside for now.

Please fill out sach ODOMETER CARD that has baen labeted for a specific vehicie 

according to the instructions on the card.

The giants ODOMETER CARD Is for any vehide that you may have acquired since we last 

contacted you. Becauaa we ara unaware of this newly acquired vshide, we did not fill 

out the MAKE, MODEL, YEAR, and TYPE specifications on the label. Pleasa provide the 

information indicated on the label and record the odometer reading according to the 

instructions on the card.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

1991 RTECS End-of-Year interviewer instructions, Page 21

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-153
o

<Ji •3.

(U3

a

"O 

T3 (D

O.

START INTERVIEW AT INTRODUCTION SCREEN - DIAL PHONE NOW

'2' MOVE TO NEXT 

PIECE OF SAMPLE

NO ANSWER 

ANS. MACHINE

BUSY

LANG, BAR.

DISCONNECT

INITIAL REFUSAL

MARK; SAMPLE SHEET APPROPRIATELY

START THE INTERVIEW - - T CONTINUE

COMPLETED CATI INTERVIEW

ALL INFORMA 

TION 

OBTAINED

MARK SAMPLE 

AS

COMPLETE

STILL NEED 

ODOMETER 

AND/OR VIN

MARK SAMPLE

FOR 

CALLBACK AND

WHAT TO OB 

TAIN

MID-INTERVIEW 

CALLBACK

SCHEDULE

CALLBACK

ON CATI

AND ON

SAMPLE

MID-INTERVIEW 

TERMINATE

SCHEDULE 

CALLBACK ON

CATI FOR 

APR1, 1992

AND ON

SAMPLE MARK

MID-INT.

REFUSAL
1991

End-of-Year Telephone Cali

RT91-39 

121991

CALL 

#

CALL RECORD

DAY OF 

WEEK DATE TIME

CALL RESULT CODE

DOR*

B L I T E C 

U A S H F 0 

CANSNCEUM 

BMAYGNRSP

123456789

123456789

123456789

123456789

123456789

123456789

1234567S9

123456789

I'VHER 

IHITS.

NOTES

a Contact Person 

» Appointments 

<* Best Time for Callback 

(Record callback time in E.S.T.) 

= Describe Refusals

IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT REFUSALS: All refusals should be specified as "HARD" or "SOFT," and 

the reason for the refusal (including verbatims, if necessary) should be recorded in the section labeled; "NOTES."

BEFORE INITIATING YOUR CALL, YOU MUST ENTER THE FOLLOWING ITEMS OF INFORMATION FOUND 

AT THE TOP OF THE NEXT PAGE:

1. Household Identification Number

2. Target Odometer Reading Date

3. ViN Flag Code

4. Vehicle Numbers

ASKfcD ABOUT CONFIDEM I IAL.I i Y, HI=AU:

This survey is voluntary and authorized under the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), 

as amended. Information about specific households will be kept strictly confidential. The data will be screened 

to protect the identity of individual household, and summarized within large groupings for statistical purposes.

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-155
HHID: |5|5

TARGET DATE: JAN 20, 1992

VIN REFUSAL FLAG: 1

VEHICLE NUMBERS: 2, 5, 6,'

VEHICLE 2 TYPE: PASSENGER CAR

YEAR: 1987

MAKE: TOYOTA

MODEL: CELICA

VEHICLE 5 TYPE: JEEP/UTILITY V

YEAR: 1986

MAKE: JEEP

MODEL: RANGER

VEHICLE 6 TYPE: PASSENGER CAR

YEAR: 1979

MAKE: FORD

MODEL: MUSTANG

VEHICLE TYPE: 

YEAR: 

MAKE: 

MODEL:

VEHICLE TYPE: 

YEAR: 

MAKE: 

MODEL:

VEHICLE TYPE: 

YEAR: 

MAKE: 

MODEL:

VEHICLE TYPE: 

YEAR: 

MAKE: MODEL:

VEHICLE TYPE: 

YEAR: 

MAKE: 

MODEL:

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-155
1991

End-of-Year Card for VINS

Interviewer: Please look at your screen and WE FOR THE VEHiCLE(S) FOR 

WHICH WE MUST CALL FOR FURTHER For Vehicle #s 9-12, record the 

year, make, and model of the vehicle and check the Odometer and/or VIN boxes, as appropriate.

D VEHICLE 1 Odometer Reading: _______ Reading Date:

D VEHICLE 2 Odometer Reading: _______ Reading Date:

C3 VEHICLE 3 Odometer Reading: _______ Reading Date:

D VEHICLE 4 Odometer Reading: _______ Reading Date:

D VEHICLE S Odometer Reading: _______ Reading Date:

D VEHICLE 6 Odometer Reading: _______ Reading Date:

C3 VEHICLE 7 Odometer Reading: _______ Reading Date:

[U VEHICLE 8 Odometer Reading: _______ Reading Date:

VEHICLES: Year: ___ Make: __________ Model: 

D Odometer Reading: ______________ Reading Date:

D VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) :__ _ _____ _ _ _

VEHICLE 10: Year: ___ Make: __________ Model: 

D Odometer Reading: ________ Reading Date:

D VtN (Vehicle Identification Number): __ ________ _ _ _ _ _ _

VEHICLE 11: Year: ___ Make: __________ Model: 

D Odometer Reading: ________ Reading Date: 

D VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): ______ _ _____

VEHICLE 12: Year: ___ Make: _________ Model: 

D Odometer Reading: ___________ Reading Date:

D VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-157
1991

Coding will consist of to the "OTHER (Specify}" categories, and coding 

open ends for two questions in the questionnaire file 840QRTC. The interviewer notes that are 

included with the individual batches should be to Benny. The RTECS staff will review 

the notes and edit the when the collection and are concluded.

All categories are single punch. See for CATI question numbers for 

"OTHER (Specify)".

If the responses given in these categories can be according to the guidelines given below 

or in the CAT! coding guide attached, then do so. Sf not, then print iists of ail others remaining.

QUESTION BY QUESTION

QUESTION 

NUMBER

A10 

A11 

A12 

A14 

A15

A16 

A17

A18

A20

A21 

A23

CATI 

TiON

86 

93 

9?

102

104

106

108

110

116

123

129

CODES 

10

7

6

7

9

7

8

9

9

7

8

IF

IS...

ROTARY

PROPANE 

NOT DRIVEN

NOT DRIVEN

USES REGU 

LAR AND PRE 

MIUM ABOUT 

EQUAL

BULK SALES, 

HOME DELIV 

ERY, HOME 

TANK

NOT DRIVEN 

PROPANE

ETHANOL 

BLEND

CODE AS. 

9

6

7

7

7

8

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-158
C4 186 10

04 188 10

C4 190 10

C4 192 10

C12 226 10 ROTARY 9

C13 233 7

C14 237 6

C16 242 7

C17 244 9 PROPANE 6

NOT DRIVEN 7

C18 246 7 NOT DRIVEN 5

C19 248 8 USES REGU 

LAR AND PRE 

MIUM ABOUT

EQUAL 6

C20

C22

C23

C25

D2e

CAT! 62

CATI68

CATI 197

CATI220

E2

250

256

263

269

291

59

70

198

227

303,306

9

9

7

8

6

7

7

7

7

20

BULK SALES,

HOME DELIV 

ERY, HOME

TANK

NOT DRIVEN

PROPANE

ETHANOL

BLEND

YES, GETS

RIDE W/FRIEND

OR RELATIVE

6

7

7

8

4

SEECC

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-159
1991 E-O-Y

*** QUESTION #'S §9, 70,198, 227 *** 

ENTER YEAR

1 > 1990

2> 1991

3 > 1992

4 > OTHER (Specify):

5 > DONT KNOW YEAR

*** QUESTION #'s 86, 226 ***

A10. How many cylinders does the engine have?

3 > 3-CYLINDERS

4 > 4-CYLINDERS

5 > 5-CYLiNDERS Rotary = 9

6 > 6-CYLINDERS 

8 > 8-CYLINDERS

11 > OTHER (Specify):

12 > DONT KNOW

*** QUESTION #'s 93, 233 ***

A11. Does it have front-wheel, rear-wheel, or 4-wheel drive?

(IF RESPONDENT SAYS COMBINATION THAT INCLUDES 4-WHEEL DRIVE, MARK "4-WHEELM)

1 > FRONT-WHEEL

2 > REAR-WHEEL

3 > 4-WHEEL

4 > OTHER (Specify):

5 > DONT KNOW

*** QUESTION #'8 97, 237 *** 

(ENTER UNIT OF MEASURE HERE.)

1 > LITERS

2 > CUBIC INCHES

3 > OTHER (Specify):

4 > DONT KNOW

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-160
*** QUESTION #'s 1©2S 24

A14. Does the fuel system use a carburetor, fuel injection, or is it a 

diesel engine?

1 > CARBURETOR

2 > FUEL iNJECTION

3 > DIESEL

4 > OTHER (Specify)

5 > DONT KNOW

*** QUESTION #'s 104, 244

A15. During the past year did you purchase mostly gasoline, diesel,

ethanol blend, or another type of fuel for this vehicle?

(ANOTHER NAME FOR ETHANOL BLEND IS GASOHOL.)

(ANOTHER TYPE OF FUEL COULD BE COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS - CNG.)

1 > GASOLINE 

. 2 > DIESEL = S

3 > ETHANOL BLEND Not = 7

4 > OTHER (Specify)

5 > DONT KNOW

*** QUESTION #'s 106S 246 ***

IIP "GASOLINE," "ETHANOL BLEND," OR "OTHER," ASK Qs A16 AND A17: 

A16. During the past year, did you use mostly leaded or unleaded 

gasoline in this vehicle?

1 > LEADED

2 > UNLEADED Not =

3 > OTHER (Specify):

4 > DONT KNOW

*** QUESTION #'a 108, 248 ***

A17. During the past year, did you use mostly regular or premium

gasoline in this vehicle - or some grade in between regular and

premium?

(AN IN-BETWEEN GRADE MAY BE CALLED "MIDGRADE," "INTERMEDIATE," OR "PLUS")

1 > REGULAR

2 > PREMIUM Regular and Premium

3 > MIDGRADE about Equally = 6

A ^ orruicro /o^^^w^.v.

—* ••- <wP l i iiu.1 k tWb.^W'Wii j t =

5 > DONT KNOW

1S91 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-161
QUESTION #'s 110, 250 

A18. When you bought fuel for this vehicle during the past year, did you 

generally use full-service pumps or self-service pumps for most 

purchases? 

(RECORD MINI-SERVICE AS SELF-SERVICE)

1 > FULL-SERVICE

2 > SELF-SERVICE (Includes Mini-Service)

3 > BOTH EQUALLY

4 > OTHER (Specify): Bulk Sales,

5 > DONT KNOW Home delivery/lank

Not driven - 7

*** QUESTION #'S 116, 256 ***

A20. What kind of fuel was purchased at that time? Diesel, unleaded 

regular, premium - or some grade in between regular and premium? 

(RECORD LEADED REGULAR AS "OTHER." AN IN-BETWEEN GRADE MAY BE CALLED 

"MIDGRADE," "INTERMEDIATE," OR "PLUS.") 

1 > UNLEADED REGULAR

2 > PREMIUM Propane = 7

3 > MIDGRADE

4 > DIESEL

5 > OTHER (Specify):

6 > DONT KNOW

*** QUESTION #'s 123, 263 ***

A21. Which of the following best describes the type of driving 

conditions for this vehicle ... Mostly stop and go traffic? Mostly 

open road driving? Or some combination of these?

1 > STOP AND GO

2 > OPEN ROAD

3 > COMBINATION

4 > OTHER (Specify):

5 > DONT KNOW

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-162
QUESTION #°s 12S, 269 

!IF AN "MPG" IS GIVEN FOR Q A22, ASK: 

A23. Is your estimate for miles per gallon . .. From a log that you 

keep for fuel purchase? From an on-board computer? Is it the 

advertised MPG? Or is It just a rough estimate?

1 > LOG (RECORDS)

2 > ON-BOARD COMPUTER

3 > ADVERTISED MPG

4 > ROUGH ESTIMATE

5 > OTHER (Specify):

6 > DONT KNOW

*** QUESTION #'S 186S 188S 190,192 *** 

C4. What type of vehicle is the [Q164]##

[Q161]##

{Q162]##? 

(READ CATEGORIES TO RESPONDENT, IF

1 > PASSENGER CAR

2 > STATION WAGON

3 > LARGE VAN

4 > MINI VAN

5 > PICKUP TRUCK

6 > JEEP OR SIMILAR VEHICLE

7 > OTHER (Specify):

8 > DONT KNOW

*** QUESTION ***

D2e. Any other alternate form of transportation?

1 > YES (Specify) friend

2 > NO or = 4

3 > DONT KNOW

*** QUESTION #'S 303, 30S *** 

E2. What type of motor vehicle is it?

1 = Boat

2 = Tractor (Non-specific)

3 = Garden Tractor/Riding Lawn Mower

4 = Farm Tractor/Other Farm Equipment

5 = Motorcycle

6 = Recreational Vehicles (AW, Snowmobiles, etc.)

7 = Industrial Vehicles (Special Trucks, Forkllfts, etc.)

o = Business vehicles (Limousines, Taxis,

9 = Airplane/Other Aircraft

0 = Other Types of Motor Vehicles

1991 RTECS Operations Manual/Appendix A-163