Volume of goods transported by lorries decreased in 2024

Domestic transport

In 2024, a total of 230 million tonnes of goods were transported in domestic road transport, which is down by one per cent from 2023. The transport performance decreased by two per cent and amounted to 26 billion tonne-kilometres.

The volume of goods transported in professional or licensed transport grew by two per cent in 2024, but at the same time, the transport performance fell by two per cent. The share of professional transport in total volume of goods transported grew by three percentage points and was 90 per cent. The share of the transport performance remained unchanged from 2023 and was 95 per cent of all domestic goods transport.

Transport of large vehicle combinations of more than 68 tonnes increased

In 2024, the volume of goods transported by vehicle combinations of more than 68 tonnes totalled 95 million tonnes, which was 15 per cent more than in 2023. The transport performance grew by 12 per cent and amounted to 12 billion tonne-kilometres.

In 2024, the volume of goods transported by vehicle combinations of over 68 tonnes was second highest in history. Only in 2021, the volume of transported goods has been higher, 99 million tonnes.

The share of transport of vehicle combinations of more than 68 tonnes increased significantly in all transport. The share of large goods transported in the transport performance rose by five percentage points compared to 2023 and was 45 per cent. Of the volume of goods transported in 2024, large transport accounted for 42 per cent, which was six percentage points more than in the previous year.

Transport by type of goods

Examined by type of goods, the biggest transported type of goods in 2024 was soil, such as gravel, sand, stone and other soil, salt, fertiliser minerals, slag, ash and peat. In this type of goods, the volume of transported goods decreased by 1.9 million tonnes (3%) but the transport performance grew by 215 million tonne-kilometres (11%). Soil made up 28 per cent of all transported volume of goods, retaining its position as the biggest type of goods.

Significant decreases in the volume of goods were also seen in other types of goods. For example, the volume of goods transported in the type of goods “Flour, sugar, coffee, prepared fruits and vegetables, other non-perishable food industry products, edible oils” decreased by 1.8 million tonnes (39%). The transport volume of fuel peat also decreased significantly, by 1.5 million tonnes (55%) compared to the previous year.

On the other hand, the transport volumes of some types of goods increased considerably. The volume of transported goods of sawdust and chips grew by 3.3 million tonnes (49%) and the volume of transported goods of basic chemicals rose by 2.6 million tonnes (79%) compared to one year earlier.

Measured by the transport performance, the biggest groups of goods were:

• Saw timber and pulpwood
• Different types of goods that are transported simultaneously
• Gravel, sand, stone and other soil, salt, fertiliser minerals, slag, ash and peat

These types of goods were transported for a total of over two billion tonne-kilometres. Their transport performance totalled nine billion tonne-kilometres, which represented 34 per cent of all tonne-kilometres transported.

International transport

In 2024, the volume of goods transported by domestic lorries in international transport was 3.3 million tonnes, which was five per cent more than in 2023. The transport performance amounted to EUR 1.8 billion, or the same amount as in 2023. Ninety-nine per cent of the drive-kilometres abroad were transported in professional transport.