Accredited official statistics

Domestic road freight statistics, United Kingdom: 2024

Updated 9 July 2025

About this release

These are accredited official statistics and were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in December 2016. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. For more information, see the ‘about these statistics’ section.

This statistical release summarises the domestic activity of GB-registered Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) operating in the UK during 2024. It covers the amount and type of goods carried, as well as the origin and destination of the HGV and the distance travelled.

This statistical release also summarises the activity of Northern Ireland (NI)-registered HGVs operating in the UK and in the island of Ireland during 2024.

The information is derived from surveys of businesses that operate HGVs.

Statistics on HGV driver vacancies in the UK during 2024 and an overview of the road freight sector in 2024 are also available.

The previous annual statistical release on domestic road freight for 2023 is also available, as well as previous quarterly releases.

Important note for users

Data before and after 2021 should not be compared.

Data collection for domestic road freight statistics moved from a paper to online survey midway through 2021. An investigation of the data concluded that the paper data up to quarter 2 (April to June) 2021 and online data since quarter 3 (July to September) 2021 should not be compared. A number of factors related to the online data collection were considered, alongside other external factors which may have influenced recent data changes.

A detailed explanation of the methodology change and the impact on the data can be found within the methodology note.

Definitions

HGV: a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 tonnes. The gross vehicle weight is the weight of the vehicle plus the maximum possible weight of goods that can be carried.

Quarter: a calendar year quarter. In this publication, quarter 1 refers to January to March, quarter 2 refers to April to June, quarter 3 refers to July to September, and quarter 4 refers to October to December.

Goods lifted: the weight of goods carried, measured in tonnes. This is a measure of the amount of goods transported around the UK by HGVs.

Goods moved: the weight of goods carried, multiplied by the distance hauled, measured in tonne kilometres. This is a measure of the total activity of GB-registered HGVs, accounting for both the distance travelled by each vehicle and the weight of its load.

Headline figures

In 2024,

1.59 billion tonnes

of goods were lifted by GB-registered HGVs operating in the UK, a 2% increase compared to 2023.

Infographic 1: Total amount of domestic goods lifted, goods moved, and vehicle kilometres travelled by GB-registered HGVs in 2024 and quarterly trends Table RFS0101

Infographic 1 shows that in 2024, GB-registered HGVs transporting freight within the UK:

• lifted 1.59 billion tonnes of goods, which is 2% more than in 2023 (1.55 billion tonnes)

• moved 168 billion tonne kilometres of goods, which is 1% more than in 2023 (167 billion tonne kilometres)

• travelled 19.4 billion kilometres, which is 2% more than in 2023 (19.0 billion kilometres)

Trends

In 2023, 1.55 billion tonnes of goods were lifted by GB-registered HGVs operating in the UK. The amount of goods lifted varied significantly across the year, with a high of 411 million tonnes in quarter 3 to a low of 360 million tonnes in quarter 4, a difference of over 12%.

In 2024, the total amount of goods lifted increased slightly to 1.59 billion tonnes, which was an increase of 2% from 2023. The amount of goods lifted remained more stable across the quarters compared with 2023, varying by no more than 8% per quarter. The highest quarterly total was 408 million tonnes in quarter 4, while the lowest was 388 million tonnes in quarter 2.

Commodities lifted by GB-registered HGVs

Definition

Commodity: goods are classified into commodity types and sub-categories by the ‘standard goods classification for transport statistics 2007’ NST2007.

In 2024, the top 5 commodities lifted accounted for 73% of all goods lifted by GB-registered HGVs in the UK (1.16 out of 1.59 billion tonnes), similarly to 2023 where it also accounted for 73% of all goods lifted (1.13 out of 1.55 billion tonnes).

Infographic 2: Top 5 commodity types lifted by GB-registered HGVs in 2024 Table RFS0104

Note: Due to rounding, the sum of the top 5 commodity proportion of all goods lifted may not equal the proportion calculated from the goods lifted figures.

Infographic 2 shows the top 5 commodity types lifted by GB-registered HGVs in 2024.

The most common type of haul lifted in 2024 was groupage (24% of goods by weight, 386 million tonnes), which is where consignments contain a mixture of different commodities with no single main type of goods. This was also the most common type in 2023 (25% of goods by weight, 393 million tonnes).

The top 5 commodities type lifted remained the same as the top 5 in 2023. There were some variations in the amount lifted between 2023 and 2024. The biggest difference was for glass, cement, and other non-metallic mineral products, as the amount of goods lifted in 2024 (103 million tonnes) was 13% more than in 2023 (91 million tonnes).

Dangerous goods lifted by GB-registered HGVs

Note

The nine dangerous goods classes are: flammable liquids, gases, corrosive substance, flammable solids, oxidisers and organic peroxides, toxic and infectious substance, radioactive materials, explosives, and miscellaneous substances.

In 2024, 5% of all goods lifted within the UK were declared as dangerous goods, accounting for 77 million tonnes. This is a similar proportion to 2023 where 4% of all goods lifted were declared as dangerous goods, accounting for 69 million tonnes.

Chart 1: Dangerous goods lifted by GB-registered HGVs by dangerous goods class in 2024 Table RFS0118

Chart 1 is a doughnut chart which shows that dangerous goods transported in 2024 were predominantly flammable liquids (50 million tonnes, 66%), for example, alcoholic beverages, crude petroleum, fuel, and some chemicals. This continues the trend seen in 2023 where dangerous goods were predominantly flammable liquids (48 million tonnes, 69%).

The second most common dangerous goods class lifted was gases in 2024 (9 million tonnes, 12%), which is the same as in 2023 (9 million tonnes, 12%). Corrosive substance remains the third most common dangerous goods class in 2024 (7 million tonnes, 9%), an increase from 2023 (4 million tonnes, 6%).

Intermodal road freight activity by GB-registered HGVs

Definitions

Inter-modal: In this publication, an inter-modal journey is an HGV journey where a different mode of transport is used to transfer goods to or from the HGV.

Journey: goods transported from an origin to a destination by an HGV.

In 2024, the 1.59 billion tonnes of total goods lifted by GB-registered HGVs in the UK equated to 165 million HGV journeys.

Of the 165 million total HGV journeys, 4% (6.2 million journeys) involved at least one element of inter-modal activity. This is a similar proportion to 2023, where 4% (6.2 out of 160 million journeys) involved at least one element of inter-modal activity.

Looking at goods instead of journeys, out of the 1.59 billion tonnes of total goods lifted in 2024, 8% (122 million tonnes) were lifted using HGVs and at least one other different mode of transport.

Infographic 3: Proportion of inter-modal journeys involving GB-registered HGVs by mode of transport, in 2024 Table RFS0132

Note

The proportions of inter-modal journeys by mode may not equal to 100%. This is because an intermodal journey will appear in more than one mode if both the origin and destination of an HGV journey are intermodal sites.

Infographic 3 shows that in 2024, out of all HGV inter-modal journeys, 67% began or ended their journeys at a shipping dock, 24% began or ended their journeys at a rail sliding or terminal, and 10% began or ended their journeys at an airport.

In 2024, the proportion of journeys that started and ended at a rail sliding or terminal (24% of journeys) was slightly higher compared to 2023 (23% of journeys). The proportion of journeys that started and ended at a shipping dock (67% of journeys) was in line with 2023 (67% of journeys).

Intermodal commodities lifted by GB-registered HGVs

The 3 most common commodities transported on inter-modal trips during 2024 differs from the top 3 commodities for all journeys (see the section ‘Commodities lifted by GB-registered HGVs’):

• groupage 31.0 million tonnes (25% of inter-modal tonnage was carried in consignments of mixed goods)

• food products 16.0 million tonnes (13% of inter-modal tonnage)

• coke and refined petroleum products 10.9 million tonnes (9% of inter-modal tonnage)

Groupage remained the most common commodity type transported on inter-modal trips similar to 2023 (31.7 million tonnes, 24% of inter-modal tonnage).

Food products moved up one position from 3rd to 2nd compared to 2023, overtaking Mining, quarrying and metal ores, which dropped from being among the 3 most common commodities, and was replaced by Coke and refined petroleum products. In 2023, the second most common commodity type was mining, quarrying and metal ores (14.9 million tonnes, 11% of inter-modal tonnage), followed by food products (13.3 million tonnes, 10% of inter-modal tonnage).

Method of transportation of goods lifted by GB-registered HGVs

The receptacle or method used to transport goods differs for inter-modal goods compared to goods transported solely by HGVs, reflecting the requirements of transferring goods between modes of transport.

Definitions

Methods of transportation:

Solid Bulk: commodity in granular form transported unpacked in large quantities, for example, coal.

Liquid bulk: commodity in liquid form transported unpacked in large quantities, for example, petroleum or crude oil.

Palletised goods: commodity transported in a pallet, to support goods giving stability to commodity during transportation, for example, beverages.

Large freight container (shipping containers): commodity transported in a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling, for example, large reusable steel boxes, corrugated boxes.

Infographic 4: Goods lifted by GB-registered HGVs, by method of transportation for inter-modal journeys, and all journeys, in 2024 Table RFS0119 and Table RFS0135

Note: Due to rounding, totals may not appear to equal the sum of their parts.

Infographic 4 has 2 doughnut charts which shows that in 2024, large freight containers were the most common method of transportation used to transfer goods for inter-modal journeys (30% of journeys), followed by solid bulk (20%) and palletised goods (17%).

However, across all road freight journeys, the most common method of transportation was palletised goods (27% of journeys), followed by solid bulk (24%).

Freight operations

Empty running of GB-registered vehicles

Infographic 5: Distance travelled by empty GB-registered HGVs in the UK, million kilometres, in 2024 Table RFS0117

Infographic 5 shows that in 2024, GB-registered HGVs travelled 5,843 million kilometres whilst empty. This is 30% of total (loaded and empty) vehicle kilometres travelled during the same period (19,394 million kilometres).

This is similar to 2023, where GB-registered HGVs also travelled empty for 30% of total vehicle kilometres travelled (5,776 out of 18,987 million kilometres).

Average length of haul of GB-registered vehicles

Definitions

Average length of haul: calculated by dividing the total tonne kilometres (goods moved) by the total tonnes lifted (goods lifted). This is not the average distance travelled by HGVs, but an internationally recognised measure of the average distance travelled by each tonne of freight.

In 2024, the average length of haul was 106 kilometres for GB-registered HGVs, 1% lower than 2023 (107 kilometres).

The average length of haul for articulated HGVs was 134 kilometres, which was longer than that of rigid HGVs at 58 kilometres. This was similar to 2023, when the average length of haul for articulated HGVs was 137 kilometres, longer than that of rigid HGVs at 57 kilometres (Table RFS0108).

Goods lifted by vehicle type GB-registered HGVs

Infographic 6: Goods lifted by GB-registered HGVs by vehicle type in 2024 Table RFS0109

Infographic 6 shows that in 2024, rigid vehicles lifted 37% of total goods (588 out of 1,586 million tonnes) and articulated vehicles lifted 63% of total goods (998 million tonnes).

This is similar to 2023, when rigid vehicles lifted 37% of total goods (573 out of 1,552 million tonnes) and articulated vehicles lifted 63% of total goods (979 million tonnes).

Road freight activity by Northern Ireland registered HGVs

Note

The domestic road freight haulage survey for Northern Ireland (NI) measures road freight activity within the UK by HGVs registered in Northern Ireland and is run in parallel to the domestic road freight haulage survey for GB-registered vehicles.

The surveys sample sizes are proportional to the numbers of HGV in each country. Due to a smaller sample size for the NI survey, further breakdowns are often not possible to avoid disclosure.

Infographic 7: Road freight activity of NI-registered HGVs within the UK, in 2024 Table RFS130

Infographic 7 shows that in 2024, within the UK, NI-registered HGVs transporting freight:

• lifted 59.1 million tonnes of goods, which is 18% more than in 2023 (49.9 million tonnes)

• moved 6.3 billion tonne kilometres of goods, which is 29% more than in 2023 (4.9 billion tonne kilometres)

Of the total amount of goods lifted by NI-registered vehicles within the UK, 73% (43.0 million tonnes) was lifted completely within Northern Ireland. This compares to the 77% (38.6 million tonnes) of the total amount of goods lifted in 2023 within the UK.

In addition to the goods lifted within the UK in 2024, a further 2.0 million tonnes of goods were lifted between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland by NI-registered vehicles. This compares to 1.9 million tonnes of goods lifted in 2023 (Table RFS0131).

Further sources of information

Other statistics related to freight and trade are available:

International road freight statistics

Road goods vehicles travelling to Europe

ONS UK trade statistical bulletins

Port freight annual statistics

Rail freight statistics

Aviation statistics

About these statistics

These statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in December 2016. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.

The continued designation of the road freight statistics as accredited official statistics was confirmed following a compliance check by the Office for Statistics Regulation against the Code of Practice in July 2016.

Data source

Previously domestic road freight data was collected via paper surveys until 1 August 2021, when the method to collect data transitioned to an online survey.

This annual statistical release summarises the domestic activity of GB-registered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) operating in the UK during 2024. It covers the amount and type of goods carried, as well as their origin and destination and the distance the HGVs travelled.

A separate chapter is available on HGV driver vacancies in the UK, up to December 2024. It covers HGV driver vacancies, the impact of vacancies on deliveries, financial incentives and wage increases for HGV drivers.

Accompanying data tables are available which give further detail on the key results presented in this statistical release.

Further information about the statistics and methodology in this report can be found in the road freight domestic and international statistics guidance.

Strengths and weaknesses of data

The domestic road freight figures in this release are derived from a continuous survey sent to road freight businesses, the domestic road haulage survey. The survey provides information on the activity of UK-registered HGVs operating across the UK only.

These statistics excludes foreign-registered HGVs and vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes or less (light goods vehicles and vans).

The figures also exclude GB-registered HGVs when operating outside of the UK. For information on GB-registered HGVs making international trips please see the accompanying international road freight statistics.

This survey is based on a stratified sample of HGVs. Figures are weighted to be representative of the HGV population however, like any survey, the figures in this publication are estimates with potential sampling errors. The sample sizes and sampling error estimates of the statistics can be found within Table RFS0129, broken down by type and weight of vehicle. In 2024, there were 8,218 GB-registered vehicles in the sample.

Guidance on the methods used to compile these statistics can be found in the road freight statistics notes and definitions.

This release uses administrative data from DVLA and DVSA. More detail is available on the impact of this on the quality of these statistics.

Data comparability and 2021 methodology change

Before quarter 3 2021, data was collected via paper questionnaires. At the start of quarter 3 2021, the survey forms transitioned from paper to online format. Here, the vehicle operator provides the same information as previously requested in the paper survey. The new online survey has been made more intuitive based on extensive user testing.

The structure has been streamlined and guidance provided for each relevant question to aid interpretation. This increases the likelihood of respondents providing information that more accurately reflects the vehicles true activity, therefore providing more accurate estimates of the overall HGV population.

Due to the methodology change, comparisons between paper (before quarter 3 2021) and online data should not be made. This means no long-term data trends are available for these statistics. More information regarding the methodology change can be found within the methodology note. Long term trends on the level of HGV traffic in Great Britain over time are available in DfT’s road traffic statistics.

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Road freight statistics

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