Logistics Uk: Industry Makes Further Safety Gains Despite Rising Operating Costs
Exceptional Levels of Compliance and Safety
(Copyright Text and Images, Logistics UK, reproduced with kind permission)
Despite facing persistent cost pressures and ongoing economic uncertainty, logistics operators have continued to demonstrate exceptional levels of compliance and safety, with higher MOT pass rates, more HGVs assessed as “low risk” on DVSA’s compliance rating, and fewer collisions involving HGVs than in the previous 12 months. The findings are revealed by business group Logistics UK in its Compliance Report 2026, its annual assessment of road regulation compliance across the sector.
The report, launched today (8 October) at Logistics UK’s Transport Manager conference in Falkirk, highlights the impact of operators’ investments in safety technologies, with fleet management systems, telematics and digital compliance tools all helping to reduce risk.
Logistics UK’s Chief Executive Ben Fletcher said: “This year’s report shows that, against the backdrop of an increasingly complex operating environment, with rising costs and economic uncertainty adding pressure, our sector continues to make great strides in compliance. Investing in tools and technologies has provided operators with greater oversight of UK fleets, and ensured logistics can continue to deliver goods safely and efficiently.”
Logistics UK’s Compliance Report 2026 shows the HGV annual test performance (HGV equivalent of an MOT) in GB improved again in 2025/26 and the initial failure rate fell from 10.4% to 10.0% – a reduction of more than two-thirds since 2008/09 when the initial failure rate was 32.4%. Final failure rates also declined in 2025/26, falling from 7.1% to 6.7% which represents a significant improvement since 2008/09 when the final failure rate was 17.7%.
The report’s findings also show that HGVs are involved in fewer collisions year on year with the number of reported accidents involving HGVs falling by 5.3% from 2023 to 2024 and casualties also declining by 4.6% during the same period. Over a longer timeframe, the scale of improvement is even more apparent, according to the report: since 2004, reported HGV accidents have fallen by 74%, while casualties have reduced by almost 75%. The report suggests the sustained reduction in collisions is likely to reflect the cumulative effect of technological advances such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), higher vehicle safety standards, better driver training and increasingly sophisticated fleet safety management across the road freight industry.
“These figures demonstrate just how seriously the sector takes road safety, and the impact that the positive actions taken by the sector have had, and it is thanks to operators investing in the latest technology, maintaining vehicles to a high standard and educating workforces that there are fewer accidents involving HGVs on the strategic roads network,” added Mr Fletcher. “Continued investment in safer road layouts, targeted enforcement and industry-led safety initiatives have also contributed to the downward trend.”
The DVSA’s Operator Compliance Risk Score (OCRS), which is used by officials to determine which vehicles should be targeted for roadside inspections and depot audits, shows continued improvement and higher numbers of HGV operators assessed as low risk. Scores span from the red band (highest risk) to green (lowest) with blue representing exemplary compliance. According to Logistics UK’s Compliance Report, HGV operators in the green band increased from 66.5% to 69.1%, while operators in the blue band rose from 0.6% to 0.7%. The report also notes the strong correlation between OCRS banding and annual test performance, with 98.7% of blue band operators achieving first-time pass rates.
However, despite these successes, the report outlines how long-term pressures persist for the sector. One significant challenge is maintaining a sufficiently skilled HGV driver workforce, and figures previously published in Logistics UK’s Employment and Skills Report 2026 show that 283,000 drivers were employed in the final quarter of 2024, down from 313,000 a year earlier. In addition, the average age of an HGV driver is now 48.1, with over 60% of drivers aged 45 or over, and only 4% are under the age of 25.
“Without drivers, we would not have clothes in our stores, food on our supermarket shelves and medicine in our pharmacies,” said Mr Fletcher. “It is essential that the sector has the capabilities to address these challenges, which involves not only hiring for the right roles, but the right skills too. Employers and policymakers must work together, ensuring entry and progression pathways are accessible and deliverable for all.
“Our report highlights once again the commitment the sector has to compliance and ensuring essential goods are transported in the safest possible way for the businesses and communities that depend on them. Logistics underpins the UK economy: maintaining the highest standards across the industry and is fundamental to keeping supply chains moving safely, efficiently and reliably.”
The report is available to download here: Compliance Report 2026
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, water and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please visit logistics.org.uk
