National statistics

International road freight statistics: October 2021 to September 2022

Published 28 March 2023

About this release

This statistical release summarises the latest statistics on the international activity of UK-registered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) up to September 2022. The information is obtained from continuous surveys of businesses operating road goods vehicles. A more detailed annual release on international road freight is also available for 2021.

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Notes about the data

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

Definition

HGV

A lorry with a plated weight of 3.5 tonnes or more (the plated weight is the maximum permissible weight of a vehicle when loaded).

Headline figures

In the 12-month period ending September 2022,

6.3 million tonnes

of goods were lifted by UK-registered HGVs operating internationally.

Infographic 1: Total amount of goods lifted internationally by UK-registered HGVs in the 12-month period ending September 2022, broken down into imports and exports. Table RFS0201

Infographic 2: Total amount of goods moved internationally by UK-registered HGVs in the 12-month period ending September 2022, broken down into imports and exports. Table RFS0201

Note:

The previous announcement of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union and subsequent transition period, along with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and resulting supply chain disruption, have caused higher levels of volatility in freight statistics over the past 3 years.

International road freight activity over the 12-month period ending September 2022

UK-registered HGVs transporting freight internationally in the 12-month period ending September 2022 lifted a total of 6.3 million tonnes, this is an increase of 13% compared to the 12-month period ending September 2021 (5.6 million tonnes) and 22% below the average from 2015 to 2019 (8.2 million tonnes).

Goods lifted increased steady between October to December 2021 (Quarter 4) and April to June 2022 (Quarter 2) before declining sharply during July to September 2022 (Quarter 3).

UK-registered HGVs transporting freight internationally in the 12-month period ending September 2022 moved a total of 3.9 billion tonne kilometres, this is an increase of 13% compared to the 12-month period ending September 2021 (3.4 billion tonne kilometres) and 27% below the average from 2015 to 2019 (5.3 billion tonne kilometres).

Definition

Goods lifted

The weight of goods carried, measured in tonnes. This is a measure of the total amount of goods transported internationally by UK-registered HGVs.

Goods moved

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

The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and European Union (EU) exit on road goods vehicles travelling to Europe

The latest statistics are compared to a period where there were still some measures in place to limit the impact and transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 has had a wide impact on UK society and economic activity since March 2020. These figures should be considered within this context.

Chart 1: Goods lifted by UK-registered HGVs, shown with typical variation from the average, quarterly between 2015 and 2022 Quarter 3

Chart 1 illustrates the amount of goods lifted internationally by UK-registered HGVs between 2015 Quarter 1 (January to March) and 2022 Quarter 3, as well as the variation from the 2015 to 2019 average.

The average amount of goods lifted between 2015 and 2019 was 2.0 million tonnes. The typical variation from this figure is shown by the standard deviation, which at 0.2 million tonnes indicates the amount of goods lifted has been between 1.8 and 2.2 million (0.2 million tonnes higher or lower than the 2.0 million tonnes average) over this 5-year period.

In 2022 Quarter 1, there was a slight recovery from 1.4 million tonnes in 2021 Quarter 4 to 1.5 million tonnes, although goods lifted remained below 2 standard deviations from the 2015 to 2019 average. This recovery continued in 2022 Quarter 2, with the amount of goods lifted rising to 1.9 million tonnes within 1 standard deviation of the 2015 to 2019 average. In 2022 Quarter 3, the amount of goods lifted fell to 1.5 million tonnes falling below 2 standard deviations from the 2015 to 2019 average. This fluctuation may reflect the ongoing challenges in the freight industry, the reduction in goods traffic over the summer holiday period and the economic effects of high inflation in 2022.

More information

Other statistics related to freight and trade are available.

• Domestic road freight statistics: July 2021 to June 2022

• Road goods vehicles travelling to Europe: 2022
• ONS UK trade statistical bulletins
• Port freight annual statistics: 2021
• Rail freight statistics
• Aviation statistics

Please contact road freight statistics if you have any questions about DfT road freight statistics.

Data source

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

This short statistical release provides the latest headline statistics on the amount of goods carried by UK-registered HGVs and the distance they travelled. This release is published each quarter.

A more detailed annual release on international road freight is also available, which covers the type of goods carried by UK-registered HGVs, as well as their country of origin and destination. This annual report also summarises the latest information from Eurostat and the Traffic Commissioners from Great Britain on foreign-registered HGVs travelling to and from the UK, cabotage, and goods vehicle operator licenses.

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

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

National statistics

These statistics are designated as National Statistics. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards as set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. The Code of Practice for Statistics plays an essential role in ensuring that statistics published by government inspire the public confidence through demonstrating trustworthiness and providing high-quality statistics.

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

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Contact details

Road freight statistics

Email roadfreight.stats@dft.gov.uk

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