Dutch hauliers more active in domestic transport

© ANP
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that Dutch transport operators carried a total of 657 million tons in goods in 2016, an increase of 2.5 percent relative to the previous year. This is the sharpest increase in Dutch road transport over the past ten years except in 2007 (2.9 percent).

The growth in goods transport can be attributed to domestic transport, i.e. goods are loaded and unloaded in the Netherlands. The total weight of goods in domestic road transport increased by 4 percent to 529 million tons. International goods transport to and from the Netherlands by Dutch hauliers declined marginally in 2016.

Carriage of goods by Dutch transport vehicles Domestic transport (529 million tons) International transport to and from the Netherlands (bilateral, 101 million tons) Other international transport; transport for third parties (9 million tons) Other international transport; cabotage (18 million tons)

Mainly more transport of agricultural and food products

Half of goods transported by road within the Netherlands are agricultural products and livestock, food products and construction goods. In 2016, transport of agricultural and food products was up 5 percent year-on-year.
For the third year in a row, domestic road transport of construction goods (sand, gravel, earth and building materials) increased by over 1 percent to 112 million tons after a decrease of one-quarter over the period 2009-2013.

Total weight of goods carried in the Netherlands by Dutch hauliers
 Agricultural and food productsConstruction materialsOther goods
2006132134254
2007137148257
2008129140256
2009137142255
2010145111265
2011147112258
2012149106243
2013137105263
2014141110252
2015149110249
2016157112260

Cross-border road transport declines

Road transport to and from other countries declined slightly (1 percent) in 2016. Cross-border goods transport by road has shown a downward trend for some time now. In 2016, the volume of goods carried across the border by Dutch hauliers fell by almost one-quarter compared to 2006.
Foreign transporters, on the other hand, have carried more goods to and from the Netherlands in recent years, leading to a 16 percent increase between 2006 and 2015. Transport by hauliers from central and east Europe in particular rose sharply.

Total weight carried goods by destination and nationality
 Domestic transport (Dutch vehicles)International transport to and from the Netherlands (Dutch vehicles)Other international transport (Dutch vehicles)International transport to and from the Netherlands (foreign vehicles)
20065201332871
20075421312777
20085261272978
20095351162573
20105211063073
20115171113072
20124971072873
20135051043376
20145031073077
20155091023082
201652910127

Data of foreign transport operators over 2016 will be available in Q3 2017.

Professional road transport in fourth year of growth

In 2016, the total goods volume carried by Dutch professional road transport (i.e. road transport for hire or reward) rose by nearly 4 percent to 513 million tons whereas road transport on own account fell by 1.5 percent. The weight of goods carried by professional transport operators has increased for four years in a row. Professional transporters account for nearly eighty in every one hundred tons of goods carried by Dutch hauliers.