back to all industries

Freight Road Transport

The UK freight road transport industry encompasses the haulage of various goods, including bulk materials, vehicles, waste, and refrigerated items. Despite challenges such as Brexit uncertainty, rising costs, fuel prices, and staff shortages, the industry experienced growth due to stockpiling activities leading up to Brexit.

£34B

Market Size

61,039

Number of Businesses

288,475

Retail Economics predicts that grocery will be the strongest performing category, with sales up 6% on last year (Retail Gazette, 2023).

Freight Road transport includes activities like the haulage of bulk, stock and heavy, and liquid and refrigerated transport. The industry also carries vehicles, waste materials and logs. The industry needs to include the operation of terminals, packing and courier activities. Roads are the primary method of transporting freight within the United Kingdom.

Industry Challenges

Brexit uncertainty
Increasing costs lead to a shrinking profit margin and price hikes
Fuel prices
Staff shortages

(Ibis World, 2023)

Brexit uncertainty boosts UK freight services. Industrial production activity in the UK rose over 2019-20 despite economic uncertainty post-EU referendum. This rise was primarily due to stockpiling activity by UK companies anticipating Brexit. Unconventional stockpiling by businesses stimulated international trade volume, increasing goods import value by 9.9% through March 2019.

Industry Opportunities

Green transport initiatives
Eco-friendly commercial vehicles
E-commerce and digitisation
Investment in electrical infrastructures

(Mordor Intelligence, 2023; Science Direct, 2022)