European road freight rises by 10%
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• Freight tonnage carried by road jumped by almost 10% and now accounts for around 42% of the EEC's transport market, according to new statistics published by the Brussels Commission.
The figures for the third quarter of last year show that 47.4 million tonnes were carried by road, 50.4 million tonnes went by inland waterways (an increase of 5.4%), while the railways tonnage continued to slip to 15.1 million tonnes (-2.7%).
Although road hauliers have gained from falling fuel costs, rising wages have added to overheads.
On average 40% of firms reported financial difficulties last year, says the EEC, although 20% hired new drivers and 35% were still investing.
The vast majority of hauliers (65%) expect activity to remain stable in 1986 rather than grow.
The table below shows international traffic activity in the EEC (excluding Spain amd Portugal) in the third quarter of 1985.