This paper presents the results of a macro-level assessment of the impact of a catastrophic failure of a country’s road transport system. The main purpose of the research was to illustrate, to government officials, company management and the wider public, the dependence of the UK economy on the road freight sector. A subsidiary aim was to examine the process of economic degeneration that would result from the widespread dislocation of supply networks and to highlight points of maximum vulnerability in these networks. This has been done by hypothesising a total shut-down of trucking services in the UK for a period of one week and assessing the rate at which industrial, commercial and welfare systems would collapse.

Link to the journal website 

This journal paper was based on research commissioned by the Commercial Motor magazine to highlight the importance of road freight transport in the UK at the time of the country’s first National Lorry Week in December 2004.  A copy of the full report can be downloaded here.

The theme issue of Commercial Motor can be accessed here.

The Commercial Motor article, entitled ‘Empty Running’ can be downloaded 

Blog briefly updating 2004 ‘Life without Lorries’ report for National Lorry Week 2016.

Click to download as a pdf.

In 2009, a similar study was undertaken in four regions in Sweden, partly motivated by the UK research.

Download Swedish report

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