Road freight: 2022

Data is provided by the Department for Transport (DfT).

DfT changed data collection methods for domestic road freight statistics only from a paper based to online survey midway through 2021. As a result, data pre-July 2021 and online data, from July 2021 onwards, should not be compared. Whilst we published mid-2021 to mid-2022 data last year in order to ensure 12 months of consistent data, we have now reverted back to publishing calendar year data. Annual comparisons of domestic road freight statistics have not been included as 2022 and 2021 domestic road freight data are not comparable.  International road freight data have not been affected.

More information is available in DfT’s methodology note.

Main points

In 2022 a total of 107.7 million tonnes (Mt) of goods were lifted in Wales by UK registered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). Of this total:

• 54.2Mt of goods were carried by road within Wales. The largest goods category was ‘metal ore and other mining and quarrying’ that made up 29% of total goods carried within Wales.
• 24.3Mt of goods entered Wales from the rest of the UK. The largest category of this was ‘grouped goods’ (a mixture of types of goods which are transported together)  that made up 23% of inward goods.
• 29.3Mt of goods were carried from Wales to the rest of the UK. The largest category of this was ‘grouped goods’ that made up 23% of outwards goods.
• 438,000 tonnes (0.44Mt) of goods were transported between Wales and the EU by road in 2022.

Figure 1: Goods lifted by road within, to and from Wales by UK registered HGVs, 2022 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 1: A bar chart showing the weight of goods lifted by road within, to and from Wales by UK registered HGVs in 2022.

[Note 1] Goods lifted is defined as the weight of goods carried, measured in tonnes. This is a measure of the total amount of goods transported within the UK by GB-registered HGVs.

Source: Department for Transport Road Freight data

Commodity groups

Figure 2 shows the top 5 commodity groups that were carried by HGVs in Wales in 2022. Metal ore registered the highest at 23.4Mt of weight followed by grouped goods (21.0Mt). Food products accounted for 12% of goods carried by HGVs in Wales over the same period.

More details on commodity groups can be accessed from DfT publication Road Freight Statistics Notes and Definition (pages 17 to 18).

Figure 2: Commodities group carried (by weight) by UK registered HGVs in Wales, 2022 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 2: A column chart showing the weight of goods carried by HGVs for the five greatest commodity groups in Wales in 2022.

[Note 1] Grouped goods - a mixture of types of goods which are transported together

Source: Department for Transport Road Freight data

UK destinations 2022

This section looks at domestic activity of GB-registered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) by the amount road freight lifted and moved within UK to and from Wales.

• In 2022, 50% of goods lifted by road in Wales, went to destinations within Wales.Of goods transported (goods lifted) from Wales to other parts of the UK, 28% went to the West Midlands, 23% to the South West of England and 20% to the North West of England (Figure 3). These regions accounted for a total of 71% of goods transported from Wales to the rest of the UK.
• The same three regions accounted for 65% of goods transported into Wales from the rest of the UK. 22% came from the West Midlands, 20% from the North West of England and 23% from the South West of England.
• In 2022, of the 10.1 billion tonne kilometres of goods moved to and from Wales, 52% of the total goods moved left Wales for other UK countries and regions and 48% of goods moved entered Wales.

Definitions

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

Goods lifted is defined as the weight of goods carried, measured in tonnes. This is a measure of the total amount of goods transported within the UK by GB-registered HGVs. Notes and definitions for Road Freight (DfT).

Figure 3: Goods transported (goods lifted) carried by HGVs between Wales and UK regions, 2022 [Note 1] [Note 2]

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Description of Figure 3: A column chart showing direction of domestic road freight by UK region and Wales in 2022.

[Note 1] Goods lifted is defined as the weight of goods carried, measured in tonnes. This is a measure of the total amount of goods transported within the UK by GB-registered HGVs.

[Note 2] Northern Ireland and Scotland data are supressed due to small sample sizes

Source: Department for Transport Road Freight data

European Union (EU) destinations 2022

438,000 tonnes (0.44Mt) of goods were transported between Wales and the EU by road in 2022 (figure 4).

For the EU as a whole, the combined total of imports and exports of goods carried by road increased by 36% in 2022 compared to 2021. However, the total weight of goods transported by HGV between Wales and EU destinations declined between 2019 and 2021 and remains lower than 2019 levels. These statistics cover a period which was likely impacted by both coronavirus, as well as the UK’s exit from the European Union.

Figure 4: Road freight (by weight) carried by HGVs between Wales and EU, 2000 to 2022

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Description of Figure 4: A line chart showing the trend in road freight (by weight) carried by HGVs between Wales and the EU from 2000 to 2022.

Source: Department for Transport Road Freight data

42% of Welsh tonnage carried by road from and to the EU was loaded/unloaded in Belgium, Luxembourg or Germany in 2022. The combined total of imports and exports of goods carried by road to and from these countries increased by 12% in 2022, but remain 27% below 2019 levels.