Editor’s Pick: Understanding Road Transportation in the United Kingdom

By Talking Logistics

Note: Today’s post is part of our “Editor’s Pick” series where we highlight posts published by our sponsors that provide practical knowledge and advice on timely and important supply chain and logistics topics. This recent post by Oleksandr Kulish from Transporeon’s Freight Perspectives newsletter highlights key statistics and trends about road transportation in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom, the world’s sixth-largest economy, maintains strong ties to European markets despite Brexit. Although it is an island nation with extensive maritime infrastructure, the UK heavily relies on road transportation for trade with Ireland and mainland Europe. Road freight is particularly crucial domestically, handling over 80% of local cargo movements.

In recent years, a combination of factors including Brexit-induced international trade declines, rising fuel and operational costs and labor shortages put significant pressure on local carriers and have led to high insolvency rates, especially for smaller companies.

Let’s dive into details of how road transport market in the UK is different from all the other countries:

Demand characteristics

In 2023, heavy trucks in Great Britain travelled 16.9 billion miles, a 2.5% decrease from 2022. The total goods moved reached 167 billion tonne-kilometres, marking a 5% decrease from the previous year.

Our data shows a significant imbalance in UK international transport: inbound transport (75.9%) far exceeds outbound transport (24.1%). In 2024, the main inbound routes originated from Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland and France, while primary outbound routes led to Ireland, Germany, Belgium, and France.

Despite ongoing shifts toward a service-dominated economy, road transport demand in the country remains strongly influenced by industrial activity, port operations, and population centers.