Road freight transport for own account represents a major share of inland transport in Europe and, depending on the country concerned, accounts for two to five times the tonnage carried by rail. Despite its importance, however, own account transport tends to be overlooked since it is not regarded as a logistics activity, whereas it is, in fact, a vital transport function that is changing radically as firms increasingly outsource their distribution activities to commercial hauliers.

The scale of road freight transport for own account, the impact of regulatory changes and the future of the sector are the themes addressed in the introductory reports and the experts’ discussions outlined in this publication.