Home > Statistics > Goods transport by road > 2018 > Slightly fewer goods were transported by lorries in 2018 than in the previous year

Published: 16 April 2019

Slightly fewer goods were transported by lorries in 2018 than in the previous year

Measured by tonnes, a total of two per cent fewer goods were transported by lorries in domestic and international transport in 2018 than in the previous year. The transport performance also went down by two per cent. These data derive from the statistics on goods transport by road compiled by Statistics Finland.

Domestic transport

In 2018, lorries transported 271 million tonnes of goods in domestic transport, which was nearly three per cent lower than one year before. The total length of transport journeys driven was 1.9 billion kilometres, which was four per cent down on 2017. The transport performance totalled 26 billion tonne-kilometres, which was one per cent less than in the year before. Tonne-kilometre describes the volume of transport and is obtained as a product of the transported volume of goods given in tonnes and the length of the transport journey in kilometres.

Annual volume of goods transported by lorries in domestic transport

Professional or licensed transport accounted for 88 per cent of all tonnes of goods transported and for 95 per cent of the transport performance. The share of licensed transport increased slightly for both performances compared to 2017.

Performances by full trailer combinations decreased slightly

Examined by type of lorry, the volume of goods transported by lorries without trailer was three per cent higher in 2018 and by semi-trailer combinations 12 per cent higher than in 2017. On the other hand, the transport performance for lorries without trailer increased by nine per cent and for semi-trailer combinations by seven per cent. In turn, the volume of goods transported by full trailer combinations fell by eight per cent and their transport performance by four per cent compared to the year before.

The use of full trailer combinations in goods transport grew between 2014 and 2016. The growth evened out in 2017 and the slight downward trend continued in 2018. Sixty per cent of goods and 77 per cent of tonne-kilometres were transported with full trailer combinations in 2017, while the corresponding share was 56 per cent of tonnes and 75 per cent of tonne-kilometres in 2018.

The relative share of lorries without trailer in goods transport has decreased considerably in the 2010s. During the past few years, the decline has levelled off and the share of the volume of transported goods has increased by two percentage points both in 2017 and 2018. The use of semi-trailer combinations relative to other types of vehicles has remained more or less the same since 2011.

Almost one quarter of all goods are transported by combinations with a total weight of over 68 tonnes

In 2018, lorries with a total weight of over 68 tonnes transported 65 million tonnes of goods, which was 24 per cent of the total volume of goods transported. The share has increased steadily as a result of the decree on the use of vehicles that entered into force at the end of 2013 altering the mass and measurements of vehicle combinations.

When lorries are grouped according to the highest permitted total weight into lorries weighing at most 54, over 54 to 60, over 60 to 68 and over 68 tonnes, the groups’ shares of the transported volume of goods were 44, 11, 21 and 24 per cent and of the transport performance 26, 15, 34 and 24 per cent in 2018. The shares of the total weight categories of the transported volume of goods in 2011 to 2018 are presented in the figure.

The development of the transported volume of goods by total weight categories in 2011 to 2018

Examined by types of goods, gravel and other soil materials were transported most by road in 2018, in total 97 million tonnes, which was good one-third of all tonnes. Most transport performance was generated from transport of saw timber and pulpwood, three billion tonne-kilometres or 11 per cent of all tonne-kilometres.

The average transport journey was 81 kilometres in 2018, which was six kilometres more than one year earlier. The average transport journey was 20 kilometres for soil materials and 108 kilometres for saw timber and pulpwood. The average length of empty journeys was 45 kilometres, which was on the same level as the years before.

International transport

In 2018, lorries transported a total of 3.6 million tonnes of goods in international transport, which was good one quarter more than one year before. The transport performance in international transport totalled 2.4 billion tonne-kilometres, which was 49 per cent more than in the previous year.

It should be noted that the statistics on goods transport by road always monitor the transport performance of a truck tractor selected to the survey during the survey period. The truck tractor selected to the sample may have several different trailers during the survey period. Therefore, if trailers are hauled to a harbour from which they continue in sea transport without the truck tractor, the monitoring of the transport ends there.

Source: Goods Transport by Road 2018, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Jukka Tuominen 029 551 3621, liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi

Director in charge: Mari Ylä-Jarkko

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Updated 16.4.2019