Trucks, vans and buses

Europe leads the world in efficient, clean, quiet and practical vans, trucks and buses.

  • Commercial vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, fulfilling a huge range of functions: mini-buses, articulated buses, urban delivery vans, container trucks, ambulances, fire trucks, dumpers, crane trucks, pick-up trucks, car transporters and many more.
  • Transporting 14.7 billion tonnes of goods per year, trucks deliver 76.7% of all goods carried over land in Europe.
  • Trucks and vans provide an efficient, door-to-door mode of transport, making the link between producers, businesses and consumers.
  • About 90% of the value of all goods in Europe is transported by truck.
  • 85% of all goods carried by trucks are transported over short distances of less than 150 km.
  • 19% of the world’s trucks, vans and buses are manufactured in the European Union (almost 2.7 million units in 2019).
  • European trucks are first choice around the globe. In 2019, exports of heavy-duty vehicles generated a trade balance surplus of €5.2 billion.
  • Europe’s vans, trucks and buses are the most technologically-advanced, cleanest, safest and quietest in the world.
  • The introduction of EURO VI has been a major achievement for trucks and buses, with regulated emissions being slashed to near-zero levels, down 98% since 1990.
  • The fuel consumption of trucks – and therefore CO2 emissions – has decreased by more than 60% since 1965.
  • Buses are the most widely used and cost-efficient mode of collective passenger transport, taking us 511.4 billion passenger-kilometres every year.
  • Many of our other essential public services are delivered by trucks and vans: postal and courier services; emergency services; and waste management.
Content type Fact
Tags/topics GLOBAL & COMPETITIVE
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