1.1 Background
Europe is considered as one of the global leaders in the logistics sector. Eight EU Member States are ranked among the top 10 countries in terms of logistics performance for the year 2018 , while the market size of the logistics sector in Europe was estimated as being equal to €878bn in 2012.
However, in various sectors, logistics costs remain a significant part of total supply chain costs. These logistics costs represent 12% of total cost in the manufacturing sector and more than 20% in the retail sector. Moreover, logistics efficiency could be improved. Statistics have shown that 24% of all vehicle movements per kilometre in the EU are not carrying goods, while the average load factor
for vehicles is estimated as being 57%iv.