China Road Freight Transport Market Size

China Road Freight Transport Market Analysis

The China Road Freight Transport Market size is estimated at 442.81 billion USD in 2024, and is expected to reach 633.20 billion USD by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.14% during the forecast period (2024-2030).

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442.81 Billion

Market Size in 2024 (USD)

633.20 Billion

Market Size in 2030 (USD)

5.07 %

CAGR (2017-2023)

6.14 %

CAGR (2024-2030)

Largest Market by Distance

75.61 %

value share, Long Haul, 2023

In China, the long-haul industry is dominant within the distance segment as it transports freight over vast distances between metropolitan areas, over provinces, and across international borders.

Largest Market by Goods Configuration

72.27 %

value share, Solid Goods, 2023

Solid goods dominate the product type segment in China. They lead in the construction, textile and apparel, machinery and equipment, electronics, and automobile industries.

Largest Market by End User Industry

43.63 %

value share, Manufacturing, 2023

Manufacturing is the largest industry in China. It contributed around 30% to the national GDP in 2022. The manufacturing sector's contribution to the GDP registered growth of 4.30% YoY in 2022.

Fastest Growing Market by Truckload Specification

6.88 %

Projected CAGR, Less than-Truck-Load (LTL), 2024-2030

Less-than truckload is the fastest growing segment in the market, attributed to the booming e-commerce industry and China's strong and rapidly developing economy.

First Leading Market Player

0.87 %

market share, SF Express (KEX-SF), 2022

SF Express has a presence in over 300 cities in China, Hong Kong and Macao. The company offers temperature-controlled transportation services for both LTL and FTL shipments.

The rise in exports is driving the demand for road freight services as it plays a significant role in the distribution of goods

China Road Freight Transport Industry Segmentation China Road Freight Transport Industry Segmentation

Agriculture, Fishing, and Forestry, Construction, Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, Mining and Quarrying, Wholesale and Retail Trade, Others are covered as segments by End User Industry. Domestic, International are covered as segments by Destination. Full-Truck-Load (FTL), Less than-Truck-Load (LTL) are covered as segments by Truckload Specification. Containerized, Non-Containerized are covered as segments by Containerization. Long Haul, Short Haul are covered as segments by Distance. Fluid Goods, Solid Goods are covered as segments by Goods Configuration. Non-Temperature Controlled, Temperature Controlled are covered as segments by Temperature Control.

• In 2023, China remained the world's top manufacturing hub, achieving this feat for the 14th consecutive year. The rise in production and exports is driving the demand for road services as the trucking industry plays a significant role in ensuring the timely delivery and distribution of manufactured goods domestically. In 2023, China's auto exports surged 57.9% YoY to a record high of 4.91 million vehicles. This growth was propelled by a surge in the exports of new energy vehicles (NEVs), which soared 77.6 YoY to more than 1.2 million units in 2023.
• In 2022, the wholesale and retail trade end-user segment registered growth. One of the reasons for the growth was that online retail sales expanded by 4% in 2022. Online retail sales of physical goods climbed by 6.20% YoY in 2022. The country's total retail sales of consumer goods in 2022 dipped by 0.2% over the previous year, but December data showed a recovery in consumption. China is the largest e-commerce market globally, accounting for almost 50% of the world's transactions. China's online retail transactions reached more than 710 million digital buyers, and transactions reached USD 2.29 trillion in 2020, further expected to reach USD 3.56 trillion by 2024.
• The rise in retail e-commerce is expected to drive the growth of the wholesale and retail trade end-user segment. Moreover, rising production and exports are also expected to support the manufacturing end-user segment. China is prioritizing advanced manufacturing clusters to boost semiconductor manufacturing. The country has also sharpened its semiconductor strategy by focusing its USD 143 billion five-year plan on advanced manufacturing toward a few companies like SMIC and Huawei.