Why are trucks so important?•Most of our daily necessities, such as fresh food from the supermarket or corner shop, newspapers and magazines, electronics and appliances, clothing, and so on, depend on trucks at some point in the distribution chain.•In modern economies, 85% of road freight tonnage is carried over distances of 150km or less – along routes for which no other form of transport would be realistic.•Many essential public services are delivered by trucks, such as garbage collection, fire and construction services.•Not only do trucks remain the most flexible, responsive and economic mode of transport for the vast majority of goods and freight, they are also essential to the functioning of the larger, integrated European transport system.•Trucks function as part of a logistics chain whose components also include inland waterways, shipping, air and rail transport. Other transport modes depend on trucks to transfer freight to and from depots, rail terminals, airfields and ports.