Logistics UK celebrates Policy win on road freight October 2025

Given the UK's road network facilitates just over 80% of billion tonne kilometres of domestic freight, it underpins economic activity and growth. 

However, as the DfT set out, it has been aware for some time that the true benefits of time saved on freight journeys has been undervalued. To address this and following research by DfT and National Highways, the proposed update to the appraisal framework enhances the representation of road freight in transport modelling and appraisal. 

The proposed values aim to better capture a more comprehensive set of costs associated with road freight, subsequently providing a better account of the wider economic benefits to improve the highway network. 

The research represents a significant development in the evidence base for valuing road freight journey time improvements. The DfT intends the proposed guidance updates to provide a more robust basis for supporting decision-making on road transport investments.

Logistics UK has welcomed this guidance and supports the new, more comprehensive approach, which will better encapsulate the value of freight when determining infrastructure spending. By better understanding the fuller cost of road freight and subsequent costs of delays, it improves the business case for public road investment and could help address bottlenecks and congestion hotspots in the network.

Going forward, Logistics UK will continue to call for a national logistics transport network, to guide the investment needed to deliver goods in the safest, most sustainable and efficient way.