Overview
ABSTRACT
This article is about goods transport by road in France. It uses mainly data from recent statistical enquiries. In spite of its vital role for economic activity, this mode of transport remains largely critized for three main reasons : social issues, safety issues, and environmental issues, with a focus on climate change mitigation that will require an overhaul of motorisation.
Goods transport by road must face these challenges, but, to this day, no other mode seems able to play its essential role alone.
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Alain SAUVANT: Professor at the École nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC) - Permanent Member of the General Inspectorate for the Environment and Sustainable Development (IGEDD)
INTRODUCTION
At first glance, the road freight transport sector might seem to be thriving: significant and steady growth in activity and employment, substantial productivity gains, and by far the leading mode of freight transport…
And yet, not everything is going smoothly in the sector. From a social perspective, working hours remain long and wages relatively low, in a tense environment marked by wide variations in pay, tax burdens, and social security contributions across Europe. There is a significant disparity between large, well-established companies and more vulnerable subcontractors. And the importance of transportation in an economy where supply chains are increasingly strained has heightened its vulnerability to the recurring social crises that have shaken the road freight sector.
The industry is also facing growing criticism regarding its environmental impact, its integration into urban areas, its contribution to road safety issues, and the various inconveniences and nuisances it causes. Due to the imperative of carbon neutrality, it will need to completely overhaul its powertrains within the next two decades.
This section aims to describe the state of the road freight transport sector as reflected in various recent surveys and technical literature on the subject.
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KEYWORDS
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) | logistic transportation | environment | social | road transport | transport economics
Freight transportation by road
The dominant role of road freight transport
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