Trucking

The industry must advance electric and hydrogen trucks for long-term emissions cuts, while prioritizing biofuels, synfuels and efficiency improvements for near-term impact.

Performance summary

– The direct emissions²²⁷ were 1.89 Gt CO2e²²⁸ in 2023, a 6% reduction from 1.78 Gt CO2e²²⁹ in 2019.

– The industry has decreased emission intensity by 14%²³⁰ in the last five years, driven by improvements in fuel efficiency.

– Activity is at all-time high, at 32.8 trillion ton-km²³¹ in 2023 as sector recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 26.6 trillion ton-km in 2019.

– Low-emission fuel consumption contributed 4%²³² to the total fuel share of the heavy-duty trucking sector.

– Energy intensity was reduced by 15% from 1.24 MJ/ton-km in 2019 to 1.05 MJ/ton-km in 2022.²³³

Future emissions trajectory

– The industry is forecast to reduce emissions intensity by 28% by 2030 and 94% by 2050, compared to 2023 levels, according to the IEA.²³⁴ The direct CO2e emissions are expected to be 1.4 Gt in 2030 and 0.22 Gt in 2050.²³⁵

– According to MPP, 7 million²³⁶ zero-emission trucks will be required by 2030 to align with net-zero emissions by 2050.

Readiness key takeaways

Sector priorities

Note: This page presents a condensed summary of the sector’s performance, for a complete view, including on the sector’s readiness for the energy transition, please view the sector PDF here.