Global Road Haulage Market 2025 – 2034

Reports Description

As per the Road Haulage Market analysis conducted by the CMI Team, the global Road Haulage Market is expected to record a CAGR of 5.8% from 2025 to 2034. In 2025, the market size is projected to reach a valuation of USD 4.7 Billion. By 2034, the valuation is anticipated to reach USD 7.6 Billion.

Overview

Sustainability, accuracy and regulatory compliance are emerging as the key issues of the Road Haulage Market, particularly in the hospitals, diagnostic imaging facilities and research centers. The tendency to green technology and ESG is pushing the world to persuade manufacturers to concentrate on the energy efficient production process, reusable detector materials and simplified formulation that will reduce the chemical and electronic waste. The existing facility construction is aimed at the safety of use, the stability and convenient user-friendly digital interfaces to ensure a high quality of imaging and minimize risks in high throughput clinical and preclinical environments.

Accompanying that, IoT-based monitoring, automated quality control systems and cloud-based batch reporting are augmenting transparency, traceability and compliance. These technologies can not only guarantee adherence to high standards set by the FDA and EMA and other regulatory authorities worldwide but also help to develop confidence in clinicians, hospitals, and research institutions. By combining sustainability initiatives and state-of-the-art technology, Contrast Media manufacturers are gaining more momentum in the market, establishing lasting relationships, and becoming one of the key players in the global platform of diagnostic imaging.

Key Trends & Drivers

The Road Haulage Market Trends have tremendous growth opportunities due to several reasons:

• High Regulatory and Compliance Standards: The restriction of government rules and laws in relation to freight transportation is compelling road haulage operators to strive for higher levels of fleet management, cargo safety, and efficiency of operations. The need to maintain scalability, reliability, and always-the-same quality of service has necessitated compliance with national and international regulations of transport, emission regulations, and vehicle safety norms. An example of this is the case of Transport Corporation of India (TCI), which optimized its frameworks of compliance and fleet monitoring in 2025 in line with the dynamic safety and environmental regulations due to the market-wide emphasis on regulatory excellence.

• Sustainability Focus: The operations of road haulage are becoming more affected by the worldwide trends on sustainability and ESG programs. Firms are implementing low-emission and electric trucks, optimization of delivery routes, and inclusion of environmentally healthful procedures in warehouses and logistics centers. Some of the major companies, such as GreenLine Mobility Solutions and BlackBuck, are investing in LNG and electric-powered trucks, as well as energy-efficient depots, to reduce the environmental impact and to have sustainable operations in logistics.

• Robotization and Data digitization: Automation, AI-based route optimization, fleet monitoring based on IoT, and digital supply chain platforms are becoming a norm in the market. These technologies can be used to increase efficiency, lower operational costs, increase traceability, and improve predictive maintenance. As an illustration, in early 2025, Delhivery launched AI-based route and fleet management systems, allowing them to deliver faster, track the deliveries in real-time, and allocate the resources more efficiently. Smarter logistics infrastructure and cloud solution tools are now allowing transporters to enhance the quality of decisions, decrease transit time, and uplift customer satisfaction levels in general.

Key Threats

The Road Haulage Market has several primary threats that will influence its profitability and future development. Some of the threats are:

• High Capital Investment: Before initiating operations, road haulage requires significant allocations toward vehicles, fleet control mechanisms, telematics, and logistical software. For small and medium enterprises, the costs associated with procuring road haulage, refrigerated, or bulk transport vehicles, insuring the vehicles, and obtaining the requisite safety and emission control compliance can be overwhelming. In developing economies, the high costs associated with adopting advanced logistics solutions can be discouraging, even when the logistics solutions are certain to drastically improve operational and administrative efficiencies.

• Specialized Maintenance and Skilled Workforce Requirement: Specialized road haulage operations will always require acquired skills and competencies for the maintenance and control of fleets, as well as for adherence to stipulated legislative provisions. While modern digital, automated, and telematics directive systems exist for route planning and control, emerging logistics markets will always have operational, maintenance, and scalability cost challenges for smaller players due to the unavailability of proven managerial and operational skills.

Opportunities 

• Sustainable Logistics Initiatives: The practice of road haulage opens avenues for the adoption of sustainability initiatives. This can be the incorporation of fuel-efficient route haulage and electric vehicles, route optimization for emission reduction, the establishment of green warehouses, and the use of ecological packing materials. Firms adopting sustainability and eco-friendly supply chains will gain a competitive advantage and adhere to global norms on environmental and social responsibility.

Category Wise Insights

By Type

• International Road Haulage: It delivers services that involve the carriage of goods and the transportation of goods across international borders. This segment focuses on the integration of international supply chains and the advanced stage of trade relations in the U.S., the European Union, and the Asia-Pacific region. Cross-border logistics facilitates and advances multiple industries such as manufacturing, retail, and resource-based industries. Participants in this segment must undertake the integration of customs, international, and regulatory framework compliance and environmental standards. The development of free trade agreements and the introduction of digital customs clearance systems enhance the significance of international road haulage within the framework of global trade and international relations. 

• Domestic Road Haulage: It involves the transportation and carriage of goods within international borders. It is said that domestic freight is the backbone of the international haulage industry as it delivers the services needed for the movement of goods within states of the country and also within and across cities and rural areas. It has advanced and includes the distribution of supplies for retail, manufacturing, and the agriculture and healthcare freight supply chains. This sector has also advanced and modernized with the introduction of electric trucks and the use of AI for determining route optimization, thereby reducingcosts and transit times. The area of e-commerce and the logistics of the urban areas is the newly growing sector in road haulage.

By Vehicle Type

• Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs): Used for urban freight delivery and last-mile connectivity, LCVs play an important role in time-sensitive deliveries for the e-commerce, retail, and healthcare sectors while navigating relaxing restrictions in freight delivery. LCVs often are the most reliable option for quick turnaround deliveries over short corridors. With electrification and the pursuit of ‘greener’ vehicle technologies, LCVs are also becoming more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly.

• Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCVs): Long-haul transportation and bulk cargo movements are dominated by HCVs. They service the manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and oil & gas supply chains. With operational efficiencies and high payload capacities, they are indispensable as primary ‘workhorses’ in logistics. Advances in liquid natural gas (LNG), hydrogen fuel, and battery-powered electric HCVs are designed to improve the environmental performance of heavy logistics while addressing the increasing volumetric demand in supply chains.

By Service Type

• Refrigerated: This kind of haulage reduces the risk associated with the transportation of perishable items – such as food products, medicines, and vaccines – with attention to the appropriate temperature regulations. The expanding cold chain services globally, alongside expanding healthcare services, necessitate advanced refrigerated vehicle fleets. These fleets utilize IoT temperature and humidity control for real-time monitoring. 

• Non-refrigerated: This segment constitutes the haulage of general freight, such as retail and consumer goods as well as raw materials. It represents the largest portion of road haulage due to its versatility, cost efficiency, and effective logistical coverage of broad areas. The optimization of load management and reduction of empty backhauls are primary benefits of digital freight platforms for non-refrigerated haulage. 

• Containerized: Containerized haulage facilitates the movement of goods across sea, road, and rail, thereby supporting intermodal transport and global trade. It provides exporters and importers with the benefits of security, efficiency, and flexibility. The frequent use of smart containers equipped with IoT monitoring and GPS systems improves the reliability and transparency of containerized transport services.

• Tanker: This type of haulage focuses on the transportation of liquids and gases, like fuel, chemicals, and industrial products. The increasing demand for energy and the petrochemical industry sustain this segment’s importance, while the sector’s new designs are focusing on eco-friendly and lightweight trailer/tanker fleets. Safety, compliance, and spill prevention technologies drive this segment.

• Bulk Cargo: Bulk cargo haulage encompasses transportation of coal, cement, grain, and various minerals. It is essential to construction, agriculture, and manufacturing. Growing global infrastructure projects continue to increase the demand for bulk cargo, with automation in the loading/unloading process and real-time tracking of fleets to maximize operational efficiencies.

By Application

• Retail: Road haulage in retail is increasingly important for supporting the expanding e-commerce and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries. The establishment of effective last-mile delivery systems, rapid distribution, and customer-centered logistics systems is crucial.  Companies are deploying electric delivery vehicles and artificial intelligence (AI) for route planning to enhance customer satisfaction.

• Manufacturing: Road haulage is important to the manufacturing sector and necessary for the movement of raw materials, machinery, and finished products to keep the logistics timely and prevent the production cycle from being disrupted. In this application area, advanced fleet monitoring, automation, and just-in-time delivery strategies are being integrated.

• Oil and Gas: The transportation of fuel and heavy-duty haulage of chemicals and industrial gases require tankers and are subject to strict safety requirements. Investments in specialized fleets and “green” alternatives such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks alignwith hazardous material compliance and sustainability objectives.

• Construction: The global expansion of civil infrastructure projects is creating sustained demand for dependable haulage services in this sector.  Construction logistics are based on the bulk movement of cargo and the transport of heavy commercial vehicles that carry cement, steel, and aggregates.

• Agriculture: The haulage of agriculture encompasses the transport of fresh produce, grains, fertilizers, and farming equipment and consists of refrigerated and bulk cargo services.  With transport logistics increasingly facilitated by information technology, digital logistics services are connecting farmers’ cooperatives with transport providers.

• Healthcare: Haulage entails the transportation of medications, medical instruments, and vaccines. The segment was underscored during the COVID-19 pandemic when refrigerated and time-sensitive deliveries became crucial, and healthcare logistics became seamlessly integrated with the ever-constant real-time tracking of systems, regulatory-compliant cold chains, and the logistics of healthcare haulage.

Historical Context

Road haulage is becoming accelerated on innovation and sustainability by global and regional leaders. Major players are planning ahead and investing in modern fleets, telematics, and automation systems to enhance operational efficiency, decrease the use of fuel and improve service reliability. Companies are also moving towards green activities, including electric and LNG trucks, energy efficient warehouses, and greener packaging materials. Also, digital freight platforms, AI-based route optimization, and IoT-based fleet tracking are underway to streamline logistics processes, be more transparent, and follow established international safety and environmental regulations.

Impact of Latest Tariff Policies

The Road Haulage Market is not immune to global trade policies, import-export laws and the development of infrastructure in specific areas like the U.S., China, and the European Union. The differences in these policies affect fuel prices, taxation on the importation of vehicles, fees and maintenance of special transport machinery. The reliance on outsourced vehicle manufacturing, spares and logistics technology solutions has contributed to the costs of doing business, especially among small and medium-sized transport operators that lack flexibility in their supply chains.

To reduce these pressures, major multinational and major regional road haulage services are laying off operations, fleet maintenance, and vehicle acquisition to areas where tariffs are favorable such as Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. They are also investing in automation, AI-driven fleet management, route optimization and energy-efficient vehicles in order to streamline operation and save on fuel volatility, import duties and regulatory compliance.

Smaller or less-developed firms have more significant difficulties, such as greater fuel and maintenance expenses, a weak bargaining power with suppliers, and limited funds to invest in modern fleets or state-of-the-art logistics technologies. The pressures are pushing towards consolidation in the Road Haulage Market as the stronger global and regional players, with diversified supply chains, scalable fleet operation and digital logistics operation are progressively dominating the industry.

Report Scope

Regional Perspective

The Road Haulage Market can be divided across different regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. This is a cursory overview of each region:

North America: The road haulage market is among the most advanced in development, and revenue is dominated in North America by the highly developed infrastructure in logistics, the robust regulatory environment and the proliferation of multinational logistics firms in the region. The U.S. sets the pace with its well-organized trucking platforms, the need to deliver goods to consumers via e-commerce, and the incorporation of the digital freight platform. Canada favors expansion through cross border business, investment in green trucking and development of infrastructure that is government supported.

• S. Road Haulage Market: The largest market, which is powered by e-commerce and last-mile delivery and high-level usage of telematics.

• Canada Road Haulage Market: Development through long-term freight solutions, international trade, and a renovated road network.

Europe: Europe is a well-established and highly controlled market, and the need to adopt sustainable logistics is high. Germany takes the lead with its central position in the EU logistics and good manufacturing base. UK has developed as a hub of innovation, which embraces digital freight matching and autonomous vehicle testing. The market in France is facilitated by the modernization process, infrastructure development, and regulations aimed at sustainability.

• Germany Road Haulage Market: Leader in road haulage, which has the advantage of its manufacturing centres and pan-European trade routes.

• United Kingdom Road Haulage Market: Well adopted digital platforms and interest in urban logistics and EV trucking.

• France Road Haulage Market: Development supported by modernization of logistic infrastructure and sustainable policies.

Asia-Pacific (APAC): The fastest-growing market of road haulage is in APAC where urbanization, flourishing e-commerce, and rising industrial production have greatly boosted growth. China is the biggest contributor, and it is driven by its huge manufacturing industry and investment in logistics infrastructure. The Indian market is growing at a high rate because of road-building initiatives of the government and the emergence of B2B e-commerce logistics. Japan and South Korea are both developed economies that have high levels of adoption of smart trucking, EV fleets, and high levels of precision logistics.

• China Road Haulage Market: Monopolistic market, which is developed through industrial growth, government-established logistics parks, and international trade.

• India Road Haulage Market: Fastest growth because of highway development, e-business, and logistics-oriented software that targets SMEs.

• Japan Road Haulage Market: Mature market with emphasis on efficiency, sustainability, and accuracy in logistics.

• South Korea Road Haulage Market: Powerful innovation center that embraces digital freight solutions and sustainable trucking.

LAMEA (Latin America, Middle East and Africa): The emerging opportunities that LAMEA offers are continued investments in infrastructure and foreign partnership. Retail and manufacturing-driven demand is strong in Brazil which heads Latin America. Under vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is undertaking an intensive investment in logistics to make the country a regional transport hub. The logistics hub of Sub-Saharan Africa is South Africa, where the economy is supported by mining, agriculture and inter-regional trade.

• Brazil Road Haulage Market: The largest Latin American market, growing on the basis of e-commerce and regional trade.

• Saudi Arabia Road Haulage Market: Vision 2030 strategic investment in the construction of logistics hubs and sustainable trucking capacity.

• South Africa Road Haulage Market: Major Sub-Saharan centre where mining, agricultural and road haulage across borders have been expanding.

Key Developments

• In September 2025, Blackbuck CEO Rajesh Yabaji has refuted rumors about the company leaving Bengaluru, clarifying that Blackbuck is simply relocating within the city to ease commutes for employees, while a significant portion of operations will remain at the Outer Ring Road office; despite challenges at its Bellandur location due to poor infrastructure and long commute times, Yabaji reaffirmed Blackbuck’s commitment to Bengaluru, announced plans for local expansion, and highlighted a strong Q1 FY26 revenue growth of 56% (to Rs 143.6 crore) and steady year-on-year net profit increase, even as quarterly profits dropped, with the company staying actively engaged with Karnataka authorities for support.

Leading Players

The Road Haulage Market is highly competitive, with a large number of product providers globally. Some of the key players in the market include:

• Transport Corporation of India (TCI)
• Blue Dart Express
• Delhivery Limited
• VRL Logistics
• Mahindra Logistics
• Allcargo Logistics Ltd
• Safexpress Pvt. Ltd.
• Gati Limited
• DTDC Express Limited
• V-Trans India Ltd
• Sugam Group
• Navata Road Transport
• Mehta Transport Corporation
• Agarwal Packers and Movers Ltd.
• BlackBuck
• Others

Road Haulage Market is developing at a high rate because it is the spine of the world trade and supply networks due to the increased demand in e-commerce and the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. As efficiency and sustainability become the priorities, companies are embracing digital freight platforms, AI-based route optimization, and environment-friendly commercial vehicles. These innovations are ensuring that road haulage is becoming more adaptable and economical and the focus of next generation logistics across the globe.

The Road Haulage Market is segmented as follows:

By Type

• International Road Haulage
• Domestic Road Haulage

By Vehicle Type

• Light Commercial Vehicles
• Heavy Commercial Vehicles

By Service Type

• Refrigerated
• Non-refrigerated
• Containerized
• Tanker
• Bulk Cargo

By Application

• Retail
• Manufacturing
• Oil & Gas
• Construction
• Agriculture
• Healthcare

Regional Coverage:

North America

• U.S.
• Canada
• Mexico
• Rest of North America

Europe

• Germany
• France
• U.K.
• Russia
• Italy
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

• China
• Japan
• India
• New Zealand
• Australia
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Rest of Asia Pacific

The Middle East & Africa

• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Egypt
• Kuwait
• South Africa
• Rest of the Middle East & Africa

Latin America

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Rest of Latin America