Joe Finnerty

Congestion caused by HGVS is only going to get worse due to same-day deliveries

“Maybe we could use out-of-town freight centres where cargo is decanted into vans”

DRIVE along pretty much any stretch of the motorway network in Britain and you’ll more often than not see a fleet of lorries barreling along the inside lane.

Aside from frustrations caused when the speed-restricted drivers fancy overtaking each other, there’s not much alternative to getting goods transported in, out and across the UK.

However, according to a new study, some of these lorries are doing more harm than good. A report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers estimates that at any one time, a third of HGVS are driving around empty, clogging up roads. Experts believe 150 million lorry miles are preventable each year if hauliers selected routes more efficiently.

For example, many haulage firms insist on routing cargo through southern ports, despite it being bound for northern England or Scotland.

It’s not just annoying hold-ups these lorries cause, either, because researchers say congestion costs the British economy £13billion a year.

And it could get worse, too, with the advent of next day – and even same day – delivery. It’s hard to load up a lorry to capacity when Internet orders are flooding in and have to be dispatched almost immediately.

So what can we do? Suggestions include using out-of-town freight centres were cargo is decanted into smaller, lighter vans to transport it into urban areas, as well as making greater use of northern ports.

If all that fails or can’t be achieved, maybe we should just have to wait a little longer for deliveries to avoid being stuck in endless traffic jams.