3PL fleet growth offsets decline in own-account

Our analysis of O-licence data for fleets of more than 50 trucks shows that third-party logistics operators (3PLs) now operate almost 351,000 vehicles, up 1% year on year, while own-account operators run 194,438 vehicles, down 0.7%.

Taken together, the figures suggest outsourcing continues to gather pace, with third-party logistics operators absorbing more work from own-account fleets despite a subdued economic backdrop. They also point to a sector that remains remarkably resilient, continuing to invest and expand even as parts of the wider economy remain under pressure.

The continued shift towards outsourcing has clearly played a part, although weakness in some market sectors may also have contributed.

The figures also underline the resilience of the third-party logistics sector, despite the sharp increase in fuel prices earlier this year following the US-Iran conflict.

However, fleet growth has been strongest among small and medium-sized operators. The largest fleets, those operating more than 500 trucks, saw the number of vehicles on their O-licences edge down slightly to 93,970, although trailer numbers increased.

Among operators with fleets of 100 to 499 trucks, authorised vehicle numbers rose by 3%, while trailer numbers increased by 2.4%. Fleets of fewer than 100 trucks recorded a 2.6% increase in vehicle numbers, although trailer numbers dipped marginally.

The data also reveals that trailer numbers have grown faster than truck numbers over the past year. Across all major fleets, truck numbers increased by just 406 (0.1%), while trailer numbers rose by 1,811 (0.7%). This trend is particularly noticeable among the largest 3PLs and in sectors including parcels, foodservice and waste.

Looking at individual sectors, the picture is mixed. Some continue to expand strongly, while others are clearly consolidating.

The domestic parcels sector remains one of the strongest performers. Across the top nine fleets, truck numbers increased by 2.8%, while trailer numbers jumped by 10.6%.

Evri recorded the largest increase, helped by its acquisition of DHL’s domestic parcels business last year. Amazon continued to expand, while DPD and InPost also increased fleet numbers. By contrast, Royal Mail, Whistl and UPS all reduced their fleets.

The UK’s ten largest logistics operators collectively operated slightly fewer vehicles than a year ago. Consolidation at major fleets including GXO, Turners (Soham) and Gregory Group was partly offset by significant fleet growth at Culina and XPO, with Gist, BCA Automotive and CEVA Logistics also expanding.

Own-account fleets tend to be more stable than third-party operators, whose fleets fluctuate as contracts are won and lost. Even so, three of the top ten own-account operators increased fleet numbers, including Tesco, Sysco GB and Warburtons.

Asda recorded the most significant reduction, cutting its truck fleet by 21.5% after outsourcing deliveries for its George clothing business earlier this year, although its trailer fleet remained unchanged.

Across the wider market, the top ten operators in foodservice, energy and fuels, and waste all expanded, while fleets contracted in retail, the motor industry, and construction and builders’ merchants.

The buoyant foodservice sector recorded particularly strong growth. The top ten operators increased truck numbers by 4% and trailer numbers by 9.7%, suggesting continued investment in larger vehicle combinations and fleet reconfiguration.

Greggs posted the strongest growth, increasing its truck fleet by 10.8% and trailer fleet by almost 30%. Martin Brower, which supplies McDonald’s and Papa John’s, also expanded, along with Sysco GB and BFS.

In energy and fuels, the top ten operators increased truck numbers by 2% and trailer numbers by 1.2%. Most fleets remained relatively stable, although Schenk UK — formerly Suttons Tankers — recorded the most notable expansion.

Waste operators also continued to grow. The top ten fleets increased truck numbers by 0.2% and trailer numbers by 1.7%, with notable increases at DM Topco and Grundon. FCC Environmental recorded the largest reduction.

The waste and recycling market continues to perform strongly and is forecast to be worth around £9.3bn by 2030, according to Next Move Strategy Consulting.

Retail was one of the weaker-performing sectors. Asda’s substantial fleet reduction had a significant impact on the overall figures, although increases at Tesco and Amazon partly offset the decline. Overall, truck numbers among the top ten retailers fell by 2.5%, while trailer numbers edged up by 0.7%.

The retail sector continues to face a difficult trading environment. A recent PwC report suggested that growth over the coming months is likely to be uneven and hard won.

Construction and builders’ merchants also experienced contraction, driven by fleet reductions at major building materials suppliers including Cemex and Heidelberg Materials. Collectively, the top ten operators reduced truck fleets by 3.4% and trailer fleets by 15.5%.

Although the construction industry endured a difficult 2024 and 2025, PwC expects the sector to return to modest growth over the next three years.

The motor industry also saw fleet numbers decline. Across the top ten operators, truck numbers fell by 5.9% and trailer numbers by 0.4%, largely due to significant reductions at Unipart, which outweighed increases at BCA Automotive and Stellantis.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), UK car registrations rose by 9.2% during the first half of 2026 to 1.1 million vehicles. However, vehicle production in the five months to May was down 8.7% year on year. Manufacturers were heavily affected by US tariffs last year but are beginning to recover following the UK-US trade agreement.

Fleet Data is Motor Transport‘s comprehensive listing of the UK’s largest third-party and own-account HGV fleet operators. Based on weekly O-licence updates from the Office of the Traffic Commissioners, Fleet Data enables subscribers to identify operators across all eight traffic areas by fleet size and operator type.