Use of alternative fuels in the UK road haulage industry

The market share of alternative fuels in UK road freight transport is less than 1%, despite several promotional initiatives. However, the use of fuels other than diesel in heavy goods vehicles is potentially one of the key methods of improving the environmental performance of transport and therefore making it more sustainable. This paper investigates a number of factors that affect the actual and potential adoption of alternative fuel technologies within the UK road haulage industry. The study focuses on the political and commercial environment surrounding the uptake of alternative fuels and suggests how the distribution network structure may determine the level of penetration of alternative fuels into the road-based freight transport sector. UK policy initiatives such as Powershift are important in this context.