How The Haulage Industry Is Tackling The Hidden Cost Of Empty Lorries

The world of transport and haulage places great value on efficiency and profitability, which only highlights the importance of solving the costly problem of empty lorries travelling miles without cargo. Too many routes and loads are currently not being optimised by local haulage companies, but there is the potential to turn wasted trips into profitable ventures by making sure that every mile counts.

This article delves into the hidden costs of these unproductive journeys and the urgent need for the industry to address this issue.

High Prevalence Of Empty Runs

Highlighting the scale of this problem, around one-third of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in the UK travel empty. The empty HGVs of local haulage companies cover over three billion miles every year, which equates to driving to the moon and back 6,500 times or circumnavigating the earth over 120,000 times. You could orbit the sun over 30 times and still have a hundred million miles or so to spare (although good luck getting back through customs after that trip).

European haulage companies have a similar issue, with one of every five lorries on the road being empty. Clearly, there is a huge amount of untapped transport and haulage potential in these wasted miles.

Fuel & Emission Costs Of A Fragmented Industry

The empty runs are becoming especially costly to both local haulage companies and European haulage companies, in part thanks to global fuel prices rising higher and higher. Road freight also accounts for 53% of the transport sector’s CO2 emissions within global trade, exacerbating the environmental impact.

It seems obvious that everyone working in the transport and haulage industry should come together to identify and implement solutions, but the truth is that transport and haulage is a fragmented industry. Even in this modern digital age, many in the logistics sector are still relying on outdated manual processes. At the very least this is inefficient, and at worst it is pouring profit down the drain. This traditional and resistant-to-change mindset is often due to concerns about the reliability and adaptability of digital systems, but the tech has advanced massively over the last few years and has become more reliable than the human memory and a lot more efficient.

That traditional mindset must be challenged as the lack of technological integration is leading to missed opportunities for load consolidation and route optimisation, which is the key to tackling the hidden costs of empty lorries.

Implementing Digital Solutions & Future Trends

More and more local and European haulage companies are using digital platforms to connect hauliers with local businesses, and it really should be adopted across the entire transport and haulage industry to maximise our collective productivity. It is an innovative approach that works to effectively reduce empty runs by 30%, cutting costs and strengthening supply chains while lowering emissions.

The industry is gradually moving towards electrification and digitisation, but we could really do with upping the pace so we can maximise our efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of transport and haulage. Digitisation is the undeniable future, and it is up to us to make it our present.

Is your business facing inefficiencies and costs from empty lorry runs? At K Charles Haulage, we use advanced technology, years of experience, and optimised logistics to cut empty miles and boost your profits. Contact our expert team today to find out more!

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