Road freight: 2017

Main points

• In 2017 goods lifted by road within Wales, to Wales and from Wales increased by 2%, 25% and 9% respectively compared with 2016 levels.

UK destination

• In 2017, 47% of road freight in Wales travelled within Wales only. This is a fall of 3.3 percentage points since 2016.
• HGVs carried: 45 million tonnes of road freight within Wales; 26 million tonnes to Wales from the rest of the UK; 25 million tonnes from Wales to the rest of the UK.
• 63% of goods transported by road between Wales and the rest of the UK in 2017 came from or went to the North West, the South West or the West Midlands.
• Of goods transported from Wales to other parts of the UK: 29% went to the West Midlands, 22% to the South West and 13% to the North West. These regions accounted for a total of 64% of goods transported from Wales to the rest of the UK.
• Of goods transported to Wales from other parts of the UK: 23% came from the West Midlands, 18% from the South West and 21% from the North West. These regions accounted for a total of 62% of goods transported to Wales from the rest of the UK.

European Union (EU) destination

• 50% of Welsh import and export tonnage carried by road from and to the EU was loaded/unloaded in Belgium and Luxembourg or Germany in 2017.
• Both imports and exports carried by road to and from Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany decreased in 2017.

Largest groups of commodities (by weight) carried by HGVs

• 22 million tonnes of food products (including beverages and tobacco).
• 11 million tonnes of metal ore and other mining and quarrying (not including coal and lignite).
• 9 million tonnes of waste related products.
• 8 million tonnes of Agricultural products.