France third largest market for international road transport from Holland

Dutch hauliers carried nearly 6 million tons of goods from the Netherlands to France in 2010, making France the third largest market for international road transport after Germany and Belgium. Altogether, 80 percent of goods carried from the Netherlands to other countries went to Belgium and Germany, 12 percent had France as its final destination.

Most goods carried to the north of France

Goods transported from the Netherlands are mainly carried over shorter distances. More than half the total weight of goods carried by road is loaded or unloaded in regions in Belgium and Germany close to the Dutch border.

The same applies to all goods carried to France: nearly half were destined for regions in the north of France. Most goods (43 percent) were destined for Ile de France, Nord-Pas de Calais and Picardie, but the Rhône-Alpes region in the south-east of France is also an important destination.

Mainly agricultural products and food

More than one third of goods carried to France by road in 2010 were agricultural products, food products and livestock. These products were mainly carried to the large markets in Ile de France. Chemical products made up 17 percent of goods transported to France by Dutch hauliers. The manufacturing industries in Rhône-Alpes – France’s second largest economic region – were an important destination for chemical products.

Source: Statistics Netherlands web magazine, 24 January 2012