The amount of goods transported on UK roads last year increased by 12%, but the logistics sector was able to deliver this with only a 9% increase in HGV use.
This is among the key findings from the Department for Transport’s road freight activity statistics, which are showing continued improvements in fleet efficiency, according to both the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association.
The DfT data also points out that three-quarters of all UK freight movements are made by road, rather than by rail or water. The FTA’s spokesman says: “We need to do more to maximise the use of rail and water freight as part of making the UK’s supply chain as efficient, clean and safe as possible.
“But they can never replace the need for road freight – that is why the best future will see us maximise the efficiency of road freight as well as the other modes.”