Industry revenue of “freight transport by road“ in Austria 2011-2023

At 65 percent, road freight accounts for majority of the inland freight transport share in Austria. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to see that industry revenues are projected to grow from 11.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2015 to 13.4 billion U.S. by 2023. Key reasons for the growth of road freight in the country include the growing government investments towards road infrastructure, growing number of goods vehicles available for transportation, low logistical costs and better delivery services. Since 2013, the amount of freight transported by road has been rising steadily, and amounted to 18.6 billion tonne-kilometres in 2018. In addition, the country ranked ninth in Europe in terms of heavy commercial vehicle registrations in 2018.

Autonomous trucks may start delivery in the medium term

After years of development, self-driving vehicles are starting to become a reality in Austria. Austrian Post, one of the biggest logistical companies in Austria, has already begun testing of autonomous trucks at its logistical center in Vienna, and is expected to deploy them into production in the medium term. In addition, Austria’s motor and expressways are set to be equipped with Wi-Fi for vehicle communication by 2023, which would not only help to reduce traffic and congestion, but also enhance the safety for vehicles.