In 2019, 284 million tonnes of goods were transported by road by vehicles registered in Belgium (lorries and road tractors with a load capacity of at least one tonne).
This is a slight decrease of 0.5 % compared to 2018 for the number of tonnes transported but an increase of 6.6 % for the number of tonne-kilometres*.
In 2009, 298 million tonnes of goods were still transported by road. Both the number of tonnes transported (-4.7 %) and the number of tonne-kilometres (-3.7 %) have decreased in ten years.
The decrease in transport for hire or reward (transport companies) between 2009 and 2019 was the cause (-18 million tonnes). Transport on own account slightly increased in the same period by 4 million tonnes.
Both national (-6.6 %) and international (-13.5 %) transport showed in this period a decreasing trend as regards transport for hire or reward. The increase in transport on own account was due to an increase in the volume of goods transported within Belgium's borders (+6.8 million tonnes).
The share of international transport (19 %) versus national transport (81 %) remains practically constant over a longer period of twenty years.
*A tonne-kilometre is a measurement unit combining weight and distance. For example, the transport of 2 tonnes over a distance of 2 kilometres is 4 tonne-kilometres.