# Van traffic surges while lorry mileage dips

## Van traffic surges while lorry mileage dips, reflecting a retail delivery shift

New provisional data from the Department for Transport shows that in the year ending June 2025, vehicle miles driven by vans rose 2.3 % to 59.5 billion miles compared to 2024, while lorry traffic edged down over the last year by 0.7 % to 16.6 billion miles. ( [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-road-traffic-estimates-great-britain-july-2024-to-june-2025/provisional-road-traffic-estimates-great-britain-july-2024-to-june-2025?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Overall road traffic in Great Britain also rose modestly in 2025 by 0.9 %, to 336.9 billion vehicle miles, bringing it back to roughly pre-pandemic levels (i.e. 2019). ( [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-road-traffic-estimates-great-britain-july-2024-to-june-2025/provisional-road-traffic-estimates-great-britain-july-2024-to-june-2025?utm_source=chatgpt.com))

## Shifting Delivery Patterns

The divergence between rising van use and falling lorry mileage points to shifting freight patterns, especially in local and last-mile delivery sectors. Vans typically operate on smaller roads, closer to customers, while lorries tend to travel on trunk or long-haul routes.

The increase in van miles suggests that delivery services are expanding, likely in response to rising parcel volumes and [home delivery](https://routinguk.descartes.com/industries/home-delivery) demand by consumers.

This pattern dovetails with the growth of ecommerce: internet sales now represent around 27.2 % of total retail sales in the UK, ( [Office for National Statistics](https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/retailindustry/timeseries/j4mc/drsi?source=post_page---------------------------&utm_source=chatgpt.com)) pre-covid internet sales were just below 20% of all retail sales.

## Managing the Increase in Online Shopping

As more consumers shop online, the number of deliveries and the density of delivery van operations in [urban and suburban areas](https://routinguk.descartes.com/resources/the-urban-logistics-challenge) continues to climb. To manage this sustainably, logistics operators should turn to [route optimisation](https://routinguk.descartes.com/last-mile-delivery/route-optimisation) and [delivery scheduling](https://routinguk.descartes.com/last-mile-delivery/delivery-route-scheduling) software.

These tools will help planners cluster deliveries to reduce empty driving miles, optimise delivery time windows, and improve vehicle utilisation. The overall result being fewer miles driven per stop, lower fuel and emissions costs, and more efficient delivery operations overall.

Retailers, carriers, and logistics leaders must embrace intelligent delivery planning to honour delivery promises while protecting our roads and air quality. With Descartes advanced route optimisation, every delivery becomes an opportunity to do better, drive less miles, and deliver more.

Contact us to make every mile count.

## Author

### Scott Williams

#### Marketing Executive - Fleet Solutions EMEA

Encouraging businesses involved in logistics to thrive, innovate, and grow while reducing costs.

[Follow on Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-williams-9b980510/)

Posted: 22/10/2025 | Category: [Fleet Management](https://routinguk.descartes.com/resources?blogCategoryId=7)