EU commission: 20% of lorries are empty

[prissi]

While the EU commission sees this as a high number I am rather surprise that it is so low. A lot of specialised lorries (wood, cooling, tank, bulk) is rather destined for at least some empty way in between, since there is not much liquid to carry back from a fooling station or frozen food from a supermarket ...

[Sarlock]

Indeed, 20% is impressive compared to North American standards.  I doubt we're anywhere close to that percentage.  Not only do you require a conveniently located back haul location nearby your drop off point but it also requires compatible cargo types.

We haul garbage from Vancouver up to Cache Creek, some 300 km apart.  After the garbage arrives in Cache Creek, the trailers are cleaned and driven to a nearby facility and loaded with wood chip for a return trip just across the US border.  The empty trailer is then returned to the garbage facility in Vancouver and sent on its return route.

Even with a fortunate back haul of chips, the trailers are still probably running 10-15% of their total trip distance empty.

Compare this to logging trucks, which travel full to the sawmill and empty back to the logging camp... 50% of their trip distance is empty.

[Ters]

Maybe they don't include return trips in their statistics. There are after all lies, **** lies, and statistics.

[AP]

I wonder if specialised vehicles (tankers, cement mixers etc) are rather outnumbered by "lorries" which can carry boxes of pretty much anything, and that is how the figure is reached.


Also, where is the stat from. Is it "20% of lorries are empty at some point", or "on average, a lorry is empty 20% of the time"