Scottish Government

3 Road Freight

3.1 INTRODUCTION

3.1.1 As shown in Figure 2.2, road freight accounts for 71% of all freight lifted in Scotland in 2006. Road freight can be transported in three main vehicle types:

• Light Goods Vehicle ( LGV): Vans with a maximum laden weight of 3.5 tonnes or less
• Rigid body type Heavy Goods Vehicle ( HGV): Vans or lorries with a maximum laden weight over 3.5 tonnes
• Articulated body type Heavy Goods Vehicle ( HGV): Maximum laden weight over 3.5 tonnes, though most are 32 tonnes or more in size.

3.1.2 Articulated HGVs can have more axles and are therefore permitted to have a higher maximum laden weight than rigid HGVs. Therefore articulated HGVs are mainly used for the largest consignments often over long distances.

Figure 3.1 Proportion of all vehicle kilometres on Scottish main roads in 2007

Million vehicle kilometers
Source: Department for Transport, 2008b

3.1.3 Figure 3.1 shows that goods vehicles account for approximately 1/5 of the total 28,458 million vehicle kilometres on Scottish main roads. In 2007, there were 12% more rigid HGV vehicle kilometres than articulated HGVs. Of the goods vehicle kilometres, 3,689 million are LGVs which is 60% of the total goods vehicle kilometres (carried by both LGVs and HGVs). The total traffic on Scottish roads and these vehicle proportions have changed over time as highlighted in Figure 3.2 to Figure 3.4.

Figure 3.2 Growth in vehicle kilometres on motorways in Scotland

Source: Department for Transport, 2008a

3.1.4 All vehicle types have increased their vehicle kilometres on Scottish motorways with car traffic up 23% from 1999 to 2007. The largest growth is in LGV traffic which has grown by 57% over this period.

Figure 3.3 Growth in vehicle kilometres on rural main roads (excluding motorways) in Scotland

Source: Department for Transport, 2008a

3.1.5 LGVs and rigid HGVs have increased at a faster rate then other vehicle types on rural roads with an overall decline in articulated HGVs. For every vehicle type the growth rate on motorways is greater than on other rural roads.

Figure 3.4 Growth in vehicle kilometres on urban main roads (excluding motorways) in Scotland

Source: Department for Transport, 2008a

3.1.6 Whilst LGV and rigid HGV traffic grew in Scottish urban areas between 1999 and 2007, articulated HGV traffic declined by 20%. This is a result of the decentralisation of industry and distribution activities from inner urban locations to suburban / out-of-town locations.

3.1.7 Again, growth in LGVs surpasses that of other vehicle types with an increase of 20% over 8 years. Cars and articulated HGV traffic have grown more slowly in urban than in rural areas.

3.2 LIGHT GOODS VEHICLES ( LGVS)

3.2.1 Information regarding Light Goods Vehicles ( LGVs) comes mainly from surveys of registered owners. These surveys were divided into two: privately owned LGVs ³ and. company-owned LGVs ⁴ . The former was conducted initially for a 12-month period between October 2002 and September 2003 and the latter was carried out from April 2003 to December 2005 across Great Britain, and owners were asked to record details of journeys made during a specified period of time.

3.2.2 As the sample sizes are too small to provide sufficiently robust results for Scotland, the results presented in this section are for the whole of GB. It is likely that they are indicative of trends in Scotland.

Figure 3.5 Purpose of journey: kms travelled by company owned LGVs in GB, 2004

Source: DfT, 2008b

Figure 3.6 Purpose of journey: kms travelled by privately owned LGVs in GB, 2004

Note: 1 Includes travelling empty after completing delivery
Source: DfT, 2008b

3.2.3 Figure 3.5 and Figure 3.6 highlight that the majority of LGV trips are not for the purpose of transporting freight. Only 37% of trips of company-owned LGVs and 23% of trips of privately-owned LGVs are for this purpose. Approximately 1/3 of trips are for the purpose of commuting between home and work and the remainder of trips are associated with travelling between jobs or other business / private purpose. Vans are essentially multiple use vehicles.

3.2.4 Overall 62% of privately-owned LGVs trips are for commuting or for a private purpose (eg shopping) compared with 36% for company-owned LGVs.

Figure 3.7 Commodity carried: company owned LGVs (tonne kms), 2004- delivery only

Source: DfT, 2008b
Notes: Tonne kilometre values use the average weight of goods by commodity type as collected in the 1992/93 van survey

3.2.5 The main commodities carried by LGVs are shown in Figure 3.7 which can be contrasted with commodities carried by HGVs shown in Figure 3.12. LGVs carry smaller consignments than HGVs with parcels accounting for 20% of all goods moved. Bulk and chemical products only account for 12% of LGV goods moved as these goods as more likely to be transported using a larger vehicle. This analysis is only available for Company-owned LGVs as an estimate of tonnage was not included in the survey of Privately-owned LGVs.

Figure 3.8 Average trip length by LGV journey purpose, 2004

Source: DfT, 2008b

3.2.6 Average trip lengths are longer for Company-owned LGVs than for Privately-owned LGVs as shown in Figure 3.8. Trips for commercial purposes such as delivery/ collection of goods and travelling between jobs have longer average trips than journeys made for personal reasons. Average trip lengths are shorter for LGV trips than for HGV trips (see Figure 3.15).

Figure 3.9 Company-owned LGVs: Proportion of vehicle kilometres by commodity carried, 2003-05

Source: DfT, 2008b

Figure 3.10 Privately-owned LGVs: Proportion of vehicle kilometres by commodity carried, 2003

Source: DfT, 2008b

3.2.7 Figure 3.9 and Figure 3.10 demonstrate that the majority of LGV vehicle kilometres are for vehicles which are empty or only transporting tools. For most cases the transport of tools is associated with commuting or service activities (eg tools of the trade of plumbers or electricians), rather than with the delivery of tools as a commodity. Privately-owned LGVs are more likely to be empty than Company-owned LGVs.

3.3 HEAVY GOODS VEHICLES ( HGVS)

3.3.1 Information regarding HGVs mainly comes from the Continuing Survey of Road Goods Transport ( CSRGT) of vehicle owners which has been carried out by the DfT for many decades. This samples the movements by UK registered HGVs but not those by foreign registered vehicles for which data is only available from a small survey carried out in 2003.

Figure 3.11 Goods moved by foreign and UK registered vehicles in Scotland, 2007

Source: DfT, 2008b
Note: The Foreign Vehicle survey was last completed in 2003. This has been scaled to 2006 using the change in foreign-registered vehicles through GB ports 2003- 2006.

3.3.2 Figure 3.11 shows that Non- UK registered vehicles carry a small proportion of freight moved in Scotland. The proportion is smaller still for those freight journeys that both start and end in Scotland. This is partly due to Scotland's distance from mainland Europe. Overall the number of Non- UK -registered vehicles travelling through GB ports has being increasing 11% per year from 1997 to 2007.

Figure 3.12 Goods lifted with a Scottish origin or destination by UK registered HGVs, 2007

Source: Department for Transport, 2008b

3.3.3 The largest single commodity lifted by road is building materials (Figure 3.12). This commodity generally has a large number of dispersed origins and destinations and travels over short distances making it well suited to road transport.

Figure 3.13 Goods moved with a Scottish origin or destination by UK registered HGVs, 2007

Source: Department for Transport, 2008b

3.3.4 Figure 3.13 shows that the proportion of freight tonne kilometres wholly within Scotland is nearly 40% of the total. Due to the relatively long average trip length of miscellaneous and foodstuffs, these two commodity groups have the largest tonne kilometres in Scotland. Overall more tonnes and tonne kilometres enter Scotland from the rest of the UK than leave it. This imbalance in road freight flows between Scotland and England partly reflects differences in the physical nature and volume of inter-regional trade. Much of Scotland's international trade by sea is also routed through England; Scotland's outbound traffic tends to be high value product (especially whisky) that does not generate much tonnage per £billion of value. One consequence of the imbalance is that freight rates tend to be lower on outbound journeys from Scotland.

3.3.5 A total of 203,775 thousand tonnes was transported by UK registered HGVs in Scotland in 2007. Of this 81% was for commodities being transported wholly within Scotland, although this proportion would be lower if non- UK hauliers were included. Most of the external Scottish road freight tonnage goes to nearby regions in the North of England and relatively little goes further south. The map in Figure 3.14 shows this clearly.

Figure 3.14 Goods lifted by road; entering and leaving Scotland to or from rest of GB, 2007

© ONS, District Boundaries. Crown copyright 2007. Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO
Note: Units are (m) million tonne
Source: Department for Transport, 2008b

3.3.6 Some commodities moved over long distances will be split into separate legs. Consequently goods moved from the South of England to Scotland could be temporarily stored in a distribution centre in the Midlands or north of England.

Figure 3.15 Goods lifted by UKHGVs in Scotland, by length of haul, 2007

Source: Department for Transport, 2008b

3.3.7 In Scotland 14% of HGV tonnes lifted are transported over 100 kilometres although most of these will not be moved wholly within Scotland. 41% of journeys are less than 25 kilometres (partly due to shorter journeys associated with moving building materials). The average journey length is 80km which is significantly more than that for goods moved by LGV.

Figure 3.16 Goods lifted by UKHGVs, entering or leaving Scotland, 2007

Source: Department for Transport, 2008b

3.3.8 International road freight has a significant impact on the freight tonne kilometres in Scotland. Figure 3.16 shows that France is the destination of 51% of the international total tonnes lifted in Scotland. Goods destined for more distant locations are more likely to be transported by ship instead of road haulage.

Figure 3.17 Number of licensed HGVs in Scotland by gross weight

Source: Department for Transport, 2008b

3.3.9 The overall number of licensed HGVs in Scotland increased by 6% from 1996 to 2006. There is a large increase in the "over 38 tonnes" category, and a large decrease in the "32 to 38 tonnes" category, starting in 1999 and continuing in later years. This is due primarily to legislation which came into effect in 2001 allowing 6-axled HGVs to run at up to 44 tonnes gross vehicle weight. Approximately 8% of the total GB fleet are licensed in Scotland.

3.3.10 This has led to many HGVs 'up-plating' i.e. the HGVs do not necessarily physically change, but are simply taxed differently so that they may carry greater loads. This effect is combined with hauliers buying new 6-axle vehicles with the maximum possible laden weight to give operational flexibility and not necessarily because average loads have increased.

Figure 3.18 Number of licensed goods vehicles in Scotland

Source: VOSA, 2007

3.3.11 There are three types of goods vehicle licence issued in Great Britain:

• restricted licences authorise an operator to carry his own goods in the course of his business in Great Britain and on international journeys
• standard national licences authorise an operator to carry his own goods in the course of his business and to carry goods for other people for hire or reward in Great Britain
• standard international licences authorise an operator to carry his own goods in the course of his business, and goods for other people in Great Britain and on international journeys

3.3.12 The number of licences issued within the Scottish Traffic Area has declined by 11% between 2001/02 and 2006/07. The largest decline has been in standard national licences possibly partly reflecting the growth in hauliers registered in other parts of the UK operating in Scotland.

3.3.13 Figure 3.19 shows that over two thirds of all goods vehicle operating licences are held for fleets of one or two vehicles. Over 90% of licenses are for fleets of 10 vehicles or fewer. The proportion of international licences increases for larger fleet sizes.

Figure 3.19 Number of goods vehicle licences by size of fleet in Scotland, 2007

Source: VOSA, 2007

Figure 3.20 Average age of HGVs licensed in Scotland

Source: VOSA, 2007

3.3.14 Due to new regulations, efficient use of fuel and requirements on reduced carbon emissions, the average age of an HGV in Scotland has gradually decreased over recent years. Further information on HGV emissions is in Section 9.4.

Table 3.1 Average trip length by LGV journey purpose, 2004 (kilometres)

Table 3.2 Goods moved by foreign and UK registered vehicles in Scotland, 2007 (million tonne kilometres)

Table 3.3 Goods lifted with a Scottish origin or destination by UK registered HGVs, 2007 (thousand tonnes)

Table 3.4 Goods moved with a Scottish origin or destination by UK registered HGVs, 2007 (million tonne kilometres)

Table 3.5 Goods lifted by road; entering and leaving Scotland to or from rest of GB, 2007 (thousand tonnes)

Table 3.6 Goods lifted by UKHGVs in Scotland, by length of haul, 2007 (million tonnes)

Table 3.7 Goods lifted by UKHGVs, entering or leaving Scotland, 2007 (thousand tonnes)

Table 3.8 Number of licensed HGVs in Scotland by gross weight

Table 3.9 Number of goods vehicles by goods vehicle licence type in Scotland

Table 3.10 Number of goods vehicle licences by size of fleet in Scotland, 2007

Table 3.11 Average age of HGVs licensed in Scotland