As many families are just getting back into the swing of the school year, a new survey commissioned by Chevrolet discovered that many American dads may be taking over moms’ role as go-to carpooler.

The online survey, conducted by market research firm Harris Interactive, found that American dads are taking more of an active role in their children’s before-and after-school activities and assuming more of the daily carpooling duties.

“According to recent Census data, there are 154,000 stay-at-home dads and more than 25 million dads who have kids under 17. The trend is shifting, and men are becoming more involved with family-driving duties. We’re seeing the rise of the ‘Dadmobile,’” said James Bell, head of General Motors consumer affairs.

Interestingly enough, the survey showed that 80 percent of fathers in the U.S. with children aged 17 or younger say they take an active role in daily family life, with 70 percent driving their kids to school, daycare or extracurricular activities.

That said, as the daily life of the American family continues to evolve, Chevy also found that utility vehicles have become more popular than minivans for the carpool vehicle of choice — for fathers that is.

The survey showed that while moms may still prefer minivans for convenience features, such as sliding doors, more than half (58 percent) of the dads surveyed prefer to shuttle kids around town in a slightly “cooler” vehicle.

Bell commented on the trend, saying, “The minivan has long been seen as the quintessential family car, but its heyday might be over with crossovers and SUVs like the Chevrolet Traverse, Tahoe or Equinox combining equal or better fuel economy, safety and convenience with a more rugged edge.”

That said, survey results demonstrated that fathers gave their current family vehicle a 6.4 “cool” rating on a 10-point scale, and utility vehicles, such as SUVs and crossovers, came in as the most-preferred family vehicles among dads. Less than one quarter surveyed indicated they would choose a minivan as a family vehicle.

As an example of the quintessential "Dadmobile," Chevy highlighted its Traverse, an eight-passenger crossover, which starts at $30,240 and delivers an EPA-estimated 24 mpg on the highway for front-wheel drive models.

“The survey illustrates a growing trend that crossovers — like the Chevrolet Traverse — are more popular than minivans among dads in America,” said Mark Clawson, Traverse marketing manager.

“The Traverse has gone a long way in redefining vehicular versatility and efficiency for the modern driver  — even farther than the minivan did 30 years ago. The Traverse borrows the best across all segments, uniting the features the study showed as most important to fathers like me,” he continued.

Moving on to highlight the top factors dads look into before buying a family car, the survey showed that more than half the fathers look first for a safe vehicle, and second, for fuel efficiency.

Vehicle versatility is also key as dads surveyed use their current vehicles for everything from holiday travel (94 percent) to work commutes (63 percent) to household do-it-yourself projects (54 percent), Chevy noted.

Consequently, passenger capacity was important to nearly 40 percent of fathers, along with functionality, cargo space and comfort, as well.

Lastly, what stresses dads out most about their expanding role as family carpooler? High fuel prices and traffic jams topped the list.