European road freight transport volume rises in 2025

Five member states account for two thirds of EU road freightTotal road freight transport across the European Union reached 1,886 billion tonne-kilometres in 2025, marking an increase of 0.9 per cent compared with the previous year, according to a report from Eurostat. In addition, the total weight of goods moved along European roads expanded to 13.3 billion tonnes, reflecting a 1.8 per cent rise over the figures recorded in 2024. Poland registered the highest volume of road freight transport among member states, generating 381.0 billion tonne-kilometres to secure a 20.2 per cent share of the total EU haulage. Germany placed second in overall haulage volume by recording 277.4 billion tonne-kilometres, representing 14.7 per cent of the European total. Spain followed closely behind in third position, contributing 272.6 billion tonne-kilometres or 14.5 per cent of all road transport activity. France accounted for 172.9 billion tonne-kilometres, equating to 9.2 per cent of the total volume generated across the bloc. Italy rounded out the top five nations with 161.7 billion tonne-kilometres, comprising an 8.6 per cent portion of European road freight activity. Together, these five leading countries dominated the European sector by generating 67.1 per cent of all road freight tonne-kilometres. The overall structural division of European road transport operations remained largely stable throughout 2025 when measured in tonne-kilometres. The majority of goods were moved through national transport, which represented 62.2 per cent of all haulage activity within the bloc. Direct international transport accounted for 24.4 per cent of the total distance-weight volume recorded during the year. Haulage classified as cross trade made up 10.7 per cent of European transport operations, whilst cabotage comprised the remaining 2.7 per cent. Domestic haulage within individual countries experienced the strongest segment growth, with national transport rising by 2.2 per cent compared with 2024. Cross-border movements saw a slight uptick, as international transport edged upwards by 0.3 per cent over the previous year. In contrast, operations involving non-resident hauliers saw reductions, with cross-trade activity dropping by 3.7 per cent. Similarly, internal domestic carriage by foreign operators contracted, as cabotage transport fell by 3.0 per cent. When examining bilateral haulage flows between individual member states, the highest physical weight of goods moved between Germany and the Netherlands, totalling 86.9 million tonnes. The trade corridor between Germany and Poland constituted the second largest bilateral route, moving 68.4 million tonnes of goods. Freight flows between Belgium and France formed the third heaviest cross-border route, recording 55.9 million tonnes of transported cargo. Demonstrating its pivotal position in continental logistics, Germany served as either the origin or destination point in six out of the top 10 bilateral road freight routes in the bloc.