Road goods transport by Norwegian lorries, Q4 2008

In total, Norwegian lorries carried 60.8 million tonnes in national transports and 1.5 million tonnes in international transports during the 4^{t h} quarter of 2008. The distance covered was also shorter in both national and international transports and the total transport performance dropped from 5.2 billion tonne kilometres in the 4^{t h} quarter of 2007 to 5.0 billion tonne kilometres during the 4^{t h} quarter of 2008.

Increase for the year as a whole

The decrease in the 4^{t h} quarter of 2008 was not enough to outweigh the growth during the three previous quarters. For 2008 as a whole, the amount of transported goods increased by 7 per cent and the transport performance increased by 5.4 per cent. The growth was in the national transports. The number of tonnes transported and the transport performance with Norwegian lorries abroad during 2008 was at the same level as in 2007.

Transport for hire or reward had the biggest fall

Enterprises transporting their own goods with their own lorries are performing so-called transport on own account. Enterprises that undertake transport for others for payment are doing so-called transport for hire or reward. National transport for hire or reward was the kind of transport that had the biggest fall in the 4^{t h} quarter. Compared with the 4^{t h} quarter the year before, 16.6 per cent less goods were transported for hire or reward and 6.6 per cent less goods were transported for own account.

Longer transport distance per tonne

Goods transported on own account are being carried over shorter distances than goods transported for hire or reward. On average, each tonne transported on own account was carried 39.3 kilometres and each tonne transported for hire or reward was carried 83.1 kilometres domestically. The transport distance per tonne has increased by 2.3 per cent for transport on own account and by 15.9 per cent for transport for hire or reward compared with the corresponding quarter in 2007.

The average length of carriage of goods transported abroad was 626.8 km per tonne. This is 67.8 kilometres or 12.2 per cent more than in the 4^{t h} quarter of 2007. Less empty kilometres in national transports

Rate of empty kilometres is an expression of how far the lorries have been driving with no load, compared with the total distance covered. This share is higher in national transports than in international. The types of transport that usually have a high rate of empty driving, such as the transport of gravel, distribution of petroleum products, collection of milk from farms etc. mainly take place inside the country. In the 4^{t h} quarter of 2008 the rate of empty kilometres was 25.6 per cent in national transports, compared with 26.9 per cent one year earlier. In international transports the rate of empty kilometres was 18.3 per cent, compared with 18.1 per cent in the 4^{t h} quarter of 2007.

Tables:

• Table 1 National and international transports for hire or reward and own account. Transport performances. Quarter
• Table 2 National transports for hire or reward and own account. Tonnage carried and transport performance, by commodity. Quarter. Mill. tonnes
• Table 3 International transports for hire or reward. Tonnage carried and transport performance, by commodity. Quarter
• Table 4 International transports for hire or reward and own account, to and from Norway. Tonnage carried and transport performance. Quarter
• Table 5 Comparisons with other Nordic countries. Tonnage carried. Million tonnes
• Table 6 Comparisons with other Nordic countries. Transport performance. Million tonne-kilometres