ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES 
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COM (83) 257 
 
 
 
Vol. 1983/0 106 
  
 
Disclaimer  
Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Communit y and the European Atom ic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), t his file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februa r 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003  
(ABI. L 243 v om 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit  
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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(83) 257 final  
Brussels, 17 May 1983
COMMISSION REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
on experience acquired in the work carried out pursuant to  
Council Directive 78/5^6/EEC of 12 June 1978 on statistical  
returns in respect of carriage of goods by road, as part of
regional statistics
COM( 8 3)  257 final

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
The development of the common transport policy has called for a better  
knowledge of the scale and development of the carriage of goods by road.
Council Directive 78/546/EEC of 12 June 1978 0) requires each Member State  
to compile annual statistical data on the carriage of goods by vehicles  
registered in its territory, and to forward to the Commission the results  
of the surveys together with a detailed report on the methods used.
The Commission is required under Article 7 of the Directive to examine  
together with Member States the statistical tables and reports submitted by  
the Member States, in order to ensure that the methods employed yield  
comparable results.
The Commission is required under Article 8 of the Directive to report to the  
Council on the work carried out pursuant to this Directive and to propose  
any amendments necessary in the light of the results obtained.
The report contains :
i) a list of surveys carried out by Member States,
ii) a selection of the principal results for 1979 and 1980 submitted by  
Member States and published by the Commission,
iii) a description of the methods, sampling rates and response rates in the  
various surveys,
iv) information on the accuracy of the results,
v) a note on problems for further study in any future extension of the  
Directive.
The Commission considers, after examination in collaboration with Member  
States of the experience acquired to date, that the surveys carried out under  
the Directive can provide comparable data on the scale and development of  
the carriage of goods by road by means of vehicles registered in the Commu­
nity.
The Commission concludes that the Directive can be implemented without amend­
ment and that the main statistical results correspond to its objectives.
(1) O.J. N° L 168 of 26.6.1978, p. 29

-  1 -
Commission Report to the Council
on experience acquired in the work carried out pursuant to Council  
Directive 78/546/EEC of 12 June 1978 on statistical returns in  
respect of carriage of goods by road, as part of regional statistics (1)
Basis of the Report
1. The Commission is required under Article 8 of the Directive to submit a  
report to the Council before 1 January 1983 on experience acquired in the  
work carried out pursuant to this Directive and to propose any amendments  
necessary in the light of the results obtained, particularly to prevent  
the movement of goods between Member States being systematioally subject  
to formalities specifically designed for the purposes of applying this  
Directive.
Statistics covered by the Directive
2. This Directive covers annual statistics on carriage of goods by means of  
commercial motor vehicles registered in a Member State within the terri­
tory of that Member State (national transport) and between that Member  
State and another Member State or a non-Member State (international  
transport). The Directive does not apply to :
(i) vehicles registered in a non-Member State, even in journeys to or  
from a Member State;
(ii) vehicles whose weight or dimensions exceed the normal permitted  
limits;
(iii) agricultural vehicles, military vehicles and vehicles used by
public administrations and public services, with thq exception of  
road vehicles used by the railway administrations.
Member States may refrain from applying this Directive to small vehicles  
(below a limit not exceeding 3.5 tonnes payload, or 6 tonnes total per­
missible laden weight).
(1) O.J. N° L 168 of 26 June 1978, p. 29

3· Statistics of national and international transport, expressed in tonne-  
kilometres and/or tonnes, are broken down into carriage on own account  
and carriage for hire or reward according to 24 groups of goods. National  
transport is further broken down by region and by four classes of length  
of journey, and international transport by country of loading/unloading.
Transmission of survey results
4. Member States are required under Article 5 to compile annual statistical  
returns for 1979 onwards, and to send the data to the Commission before  
the end of the year following the reference year. The Minutes of the  
Council of Ministers of Transport in June 1978 recorded that 1979 should  
be regarded as a "trial" period in view of the technical difficulties  
involved.
5· Data in respect of 1979 was sent by six Member States before the end of  
1980 and by two Member States by June 1981. Some of the data supplied by  
the United Kingdom and Denmark referred only to the Becond half of 1979*  
but was extrapolated to the whole year. A postal strike delayed the  
introduction of the survey in Ireland, which was able to supply statistics  
only for the last quarter of 1979*  seasonal factors made it impossible to  
extrapolate to the whole year.
6. Data for 1980 was sent by five Member States before the end of 1981 and  
by three others by September 1982. The United Kingdom supplied returns of  
international transport which include for the first time vehicles regi­
stered in Northern Ireland moving on roll-on/roll-off vessels from  
British ports but still exclude traffic across the Irish Land Boundary.
7. In 1981, Greece initiated a survey of international transport and for­
warded the results in June 1982. A short-term pilot survey of national  
transport was conducted in 1981 but revealed the vehicle register to be  
incomplete and out-of-date; a continuing national transport survey was  
introduced in March 1982.
8. In Italy, the vehicle register which it was intended to use as a sampling  
frame was destroyed in a bomb attack in 1979 and has subsequently not  
been reconstituted. In 1982 therefore, the Commission initiated formal  
proceedings tinder Article 1 69 of the Treaty of Rome in respect of Italy's  
failure to comply with this Directive.

- 3 -
Publication of survey results
9. The Commis^ ;  is required under Article 5 to communicate the results of  
the survey·.. Member states at the earliest possible date. The Statisti­
cal Office of the European Communities processed the 1979 data by end 1981 
and circulated the detailed results for the seven Member States concerned  
in an internal publication to the Directorate General for Transport and  
to the Statistical services and the Ministries of Transport of the Member  
States ("Community Survey on the carriage of goods by road", Volumes 1
to 5> January 1982). The 1980 data for eight Member States was processed  
by end of 1982 and a similar publication was issued in January 1983·
10. As required under Article 7» the Commission has examined, in collabora­
tion with Member States, tue statistical returns and methodological  
reports submitted by Member States. It was agreed in June 1 982 that the  
surveys were broadly comparable and that suitable summaries of the  
results could be given wider circulation, although the figures in indi­
vidual cells of detailed cross-tabulations would remain subject to  
reservations because of sampling error. Some of the principal statistics  
of national and international transport in 1979 and 1980 are given in  
Annex 1.
Survey methods
11. Member States are required under Article 6 to forward to the Commission  
a detailed report on the methods used in compiling the data. The Direc­
tive does nob prescribe a specific method but underlines the need to  
prevent the movement of goods between Member States being systematically  
subject '■ j iormalities specifically designed for the purpose of collec­
ting the tatisties required.
12. The Staii ideal Office of the European Communities has summarised these  
reportB ("Methodology of the Community Survey of Carriage of Goods by  
Road' ,  STATRA 244, February 1982) and examined the methods in collabora­
tion with the Member States. The nine Member States which have so far  
submitted statistical returns, have employed a total of 17 different  
methcic; the majority of which rely upon sample surveys using question-  
naiies sent by post to transport operators in respect of the transport  
operations 'urrioi out by individual road goods vehicles in a sample week

(sampling in space and time). The sample designs usually involve strati­
fication (e.g. size, type and age of vehicle) for optimum efficiency in  
relation to survey costs. Separate surveys are conducted for own account  
and for hire or reward transport in two Member States (Germany and  
Netherlands), and for national and for international transport in five  
Member States (Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark and Greece).  
International transport statistics are based upon external trade statis­
tics in Denmark, upon record cards from frontier posts in Germany and upon  
TIR documents in Greece; the basic source documents for these surveys were  
already in use prior to the Directive, as were the waybills and monthly  
returns used for long distance transport surveys in Germany.
13· Member States are permitted Tinder Article 2 to adopt a survey cut-off  
point for small vehicles not exceeding "3»5 tonnes payload or 6 tonnes  
total permissible laden weight” (GVW). Subsequently, Member States agreed  
to adopt in principle a cut-off point of 3 tonnes payload wherever  
possible; detailed examinations of the park of road vehicles in France  
and Denmark established that :  3*5 tonnes payload = 6.9 tonnes GVW and  
3.0 tonnes payload = 6.0 tonnes GVW. In practice only France and Denmark  
(national transport) were able to adopt this cut-off point in 1979· Other  
countries either included all goods vehicles or adopted a lower cut-off  
(e.g. Belgium with 1 tonne payload and United Kingdom with 3*5 tonnes GVW  
= 2 tonnes payload), except in Germany where the long distance own account  
transport statistics are based upon motor vehicles with a payload over  
4 tonnes. In France, previous surveys which covered all goods vehicles  
of 1 tonne payload and over, had showed that the smaller vehicles (1 tonne  
but below 3 tonnes) formed 54 percent of the total numbers of goods  
vehicles but carried only 8 percent of the total tonnes transported and  
performed only 6 percent of the total tkm. In 1979* goods vehicles of  
this size formed 46 percent of the total numbers and 10 percent of the  
total carrying capacity of goods vehicles in Belgium, but carried only  
4 percent of the total tonnage transported and performed only 3 percent  
of the total tkm (only 0.7 percent of the t and tkm in international  
transport). The use of different survey cut-off points in Member States  
is unlikely to have had a major effect upon the statistical results,  
especially for international transport.

- 5 -
14· The Minutes of the Council of Ministers of Transport in June 1978 recorded  
the difficulty of clearly defining "commercial motor vehicle", in view of  
the divergence of survey methods used in different Member States and re­
quested that the statistical consequences in the form of double counting or  
omission be quantified as far as possible. The aim of the Directive, set  
out in Article 1, is to cover the carriage of goods by road by means of  
vehicles registered in Member States and the definitions in Article 2 cover  
"any single vehicle or coupled combination of vehicles, such as a lorry  
with or without trailer, or a tractor vehicle with trailer or semi-trailer".  
No problem arises in respect of national transport (cn average over 95 per­
cent of all road transport) or single vehicles, but one may arise when goods  
are carried between Member States in a coupled combination of vehicles.
15. A semi-trailer registered in one of three Member States which use the
"load-carrying vehicle" survey method could in theory be hauled throughout  
an international journey by a tractor registered in another Member State  
which uses the alternative "powered vehicle" method and so be recorded in  
both surveys; in the contrary case, no journey would be recorded by either.
A change in the composition of a combination of vehicles is not uncommon en  
route, for example after an unacompanied semi-trailer movement by roll-on/  
roll-off ferry or piggyback train, or at a land boundary. Changes en route  
between Member States which use different methods of survey and of vehicle  
registration may lead to partial double counting (1) or partial omission (2);  
changes en route between Member States which use the same survey method may  
lead to underestimation of international transport ( 3)· These problems are  
now being examined in depth with the Member States ( 4)·
(1) Goods on a French registered semi-trailer hauled first in France by a French  
registered tractor and then in the United Kingdom by a British registered  
tractor will be recorded in the French survey ("international" transport)  
and, in part, in the British survey also ("national" transport).
(2) Goods on a semi—trailer owned in Britain (which does not register semi­
trailers) hauled first by a French registered tractor in France and then by  
a British tractor will be recorded, in part, in the British survey only  
("national" transport).
(3) Goods on a semi-trailer hauled by a Netherlands tractor and then by a British  
registered tractor will be recorded as "national" transport in both surveys.
(4) Semi—trailers make a large contribution to road transport (in 1979 they  
accounted for 34 percent of the total tonnes and 57 percent of the tkm by  
Belgian vehicles, for 40 percent and 60 percent respectively by French  
vehicles; and in international transport for JO percent of the tonnes and  
74 percent of the tkm by Belgian vehicles, and 62 percent of the total  
tonnes crossing the German frontier).

-6  -
Accuracy of the results
16. Member States are required under Article 6 to "take steps necessary to  
obtain sufficient results regarding the total tonnage carried in national  
and international transport" and to report to the Commission annually on  
the non-response rate and on the degree of accuracy, in the form of  
standard deviations or confidence intervals, of the results regarding  
transport "between national regions" and "between their territory and  
that of the other Member States".
17· Non-response is virtually nil in four surveys, is 10 percent or less in  
four surveys, and iB about 20 percent or less in four further surveys,  
with the highest rate 40 percent (two surveys)· In some Member States,  
three major categories of non-response have been identified :  vehicles  
sold, i,e. out-of-date addresses in the register, questionnaires not  
returned or returned unusable, and vehicles laid-up or scrapped (car js 
which refer particularly to smaller and older vehicles). Treatment of  
non—response by most Member States by adjustment of raising factors is  
based on the normal hypothesis that non—respondents are not dissimilar  
to respondents; in Prance, which does not make this adjustment, the  
grosBed-up figures are believed to be under-estimated by 15 percent·
18· Results may also be subject to some under-estimation if the selection of  
the vehicles is made from a relatively out-of-date register (e.g. Belgium,  
the register of vehicles at previous year-end) without including vehicles  
newly registered each month, since it is known that newer vehicles have  
a higher annual performance·
19· Estimates of sampling errors or standard deviations have been supplied by  
six Member States for several of the principal statistics of their natio­
nal and/or international transport. These estimates of tonnes transported,  
converted where appropriate to a common 95 % confidence level, are given  
in Annex 2. The levels of accuracy indicated are high, even extremely  
high in sampling terms for the major transport flows, but may be consi­
derably lower in respect of minor transport flows (e.g. with less impor­
tant countries or regions), and particularly in respect of the most  
detailed results (e.g. regional traffic cross-classified by commodity).
The problems of sampling error will be examined in detail in collaboration  
with Member States when further estimates have been received; it is un­
likely that annual estimates of sampling errors will be necessary, unless  
the individual sampling designs or sampling rates are modified·

- 7 -
Need, for amendments to the Directive
20. This Report evaluates the survey experience acquired since 1979 and the  
statistical results reported for the first "trial" year. The technical  
and administrative diffi evil ties in establishing surveys under the Direc­
tive have been or are now being overcome in nine Member States, difficul­
ties which do not call into question the Directive as such. The Commission  
considers on the basis of this experience that ;he results obtained are  
broadly comparable between Member States and correspor « .  to the Council's  
objectives set out in the preamble to the ~>irective·
21. The last recital of the Directive mentions the possibility of extending 
the scope of the Directive by compiling data on the main flows of goods 
between the regions of the Community in the form of international traffic. 
This possibility is also envisaged in the Council Directives on statistics 
on carriage of goods by inland waterway ( 8o/l119/EEC) (l) and by rail 
(8o/l177/EEC) (2), which stipulate in Article 5 that, within two years
of these Directives coming into force, i.e. by end December 1982, the  
Council will decide on the basis of proposals from the Commission  
whether to institute statistics on international traffic between regions.  
It is to be noted, however, that statistics for both these modes of  
transport are based upon complete enumeration, whereas statistics for the  
carriage of goods by road involve more complex methods largely by sample  
survey. The Commission is studying in collaboration with Member States  
the problems involved in introducing this extension into the surveys for  
the carriage of goods by road.
22. Also under study are the possibilities of compiling information on a) the 
oarriage of goods by road in international traffic between Member States 
and certain European countries not listed separately in Annex III to the 
Directive, and on b) the carriage of goods by road vehicles registered in 
individual Member States "oross-trading" between other countries.
(1) O.J. N° L 339 of 15.12.1980, p.30
(2) O.J. N° L 350 of 23.12.1980, p. 23

Conclusion
23. The Commission considers, on the experience acquired to date, that the  
Directive can he implemented without amendment, and that the main sta­
tistical results correspond to its objectives. The Commission will  
examine, in collaboration with Member States, the problems involved in  
extending the scope of the Directive and will make proposals to the  
Council by January 1985·
LIST OF ANNEXES
Annex 1 
Table 1 
Table 2 
Table 3 
Table 4 
Table 5 
Table 6National and international transport 1979  
National transport 1979
National and international transport 1980
National and international transport by group of goods 1979
International transport by country of loading/unloading 1979
International transport, Intra EUR-7, by country of loading/  
unloading 1979
Annex 2 
Table 1 
Table 2Sampling errors
Road goods surveys 1979» Methodology :
2 (i) Type of survey, sampling and response rates
2 (ii) Multistage sampling designs
2 (iii) Itype of vehicle, survey cut-off point and stratificatie

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT, 1979
Country of registration of vehicle
EUR-7 D P N B L UK IK
TOTAL miot 6 342 2 565 1 368 374 311 21 1  474 229
$ 100 40,4 21,6 5,9 4,9 0,3 23,2 3,6
Nati onal miot 6 195 2 528 1  338 334 286 18 1  469 222
International miot 147 37 30 40 25 3 5 7
$ 100 25,0 20,7 27,3 16,9 1,7 3,2 5,1of which :
loaded miot 78 18 16 21 15 1 2 4
unloaded miot 69 19 14 19 10 1 2 3
of which with :
EUR—7 miot 121 27 23 38 24 2 3 4
% 100 22,2 18,9 31,2 19,4 2 ,0 2,8 3,5
Italy miot 12 4 5 1 1 0 1 0
Ireland miot 0 0 0 0 - - 0 0
Third countries-
miot 13 5 2 1 0 0 3

NATIONAL TRANSPORT. 1979
Country of registration of vehicle
EUR—7 I ) F N B L UK IK
TOTAL
Mio t 
Mio tkm 
Average km6 195 
322 621 
522 528 
98 833 
391 338 
84 497 
63334
17 000 
51286 
9 861 
3418
278
161 469 
103 200 
70222 
8 952 
40
of which :
(i) Own account
Mio t 
$ total 
Mio tkm 
i total 
Average km  
(ii) Intraregi onal  
Mio t 
Ìo total3 524
57
134 423 
42 
38
4 996
811 485
59
40 797 
41 
27
2 061
82928
69
39 791 
47 
43
1 119 
84123 
37 
5 579 
33 
45
245
73183 
64 
5 700 
58 
31
221
7715
83
228
82
15
18
100716
49
39 500 
38 
55
1 110 
7675
34
2 828 
32 
38
222
100
Number of regions  
Average mio t per region  
Average mio tkm per region69 
90 
4 67622 
115 
4 49222 
61 
3 8417 
48 
2 4294 
72 
2 4651
18
27812 
122 
8 600—
1 ;
222 
8 952
_________ !

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT, 1980
Country of registration of vehicle
EUR-8D P N B L UK IR DK
TOTAL mio t 6 339 2 528 1 386 395 337 191 376 103 195
National mio t 6 1862 490 1 356 351 311 171  372 101 188
mio tkm 320 83898 313 88 32217 370 10 315 27893 9004 490 7 850
of which :
(i) own account mio t 3 601 1 464 956 140 198 15 687 73 68
mio tkm 138 697 41 095 43 528 5 948 5 949 21936 5OO2 935 2 523
(ii) intrarégional mio t 4 995 2 027 1 128 259 242 17 1 033 101 188
International mio t 153 38 30 44 26 2 4 2 7
of which :
loaded mio t 81 19 15 23 16 1 2 1 4
unloaded mio t 72 19 15 21 10 1 2 1 3

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ROAD IR ANSPOR T BY GROUP OF GOODS, 1979
Group of GoodsNational (EUR-TT
Total
u .% tkmaverage kmof which own account
ITT $ > tkmaverage kmInternational filtra EOR- 5* )
Total
T Tof which 
own account
j o t
1 Cereals
2 Potatoes, etc.
3 Live animals, sugar "beet
4 Wood, cork
5 Textiles, etc.
6 Foodstuffs, etc.
7 Oil seeds
8 Solid mineral fuels
9 Crude petroleum
10 Petroleum products
11 Ferrous ores
12 Non-ferrous ores
13 Metal products
14 Cement, lime, etc.
15 Crude, manufactured minerals
16 Fertilisers
17 Coal chemicals
18 Other chemicals
19 Paper pulp
20 Transport equipment
21 Metal manufactures
22 Glass, ceramics
23 Other manufactured articles
24 Miscellaneous1,4
1.3
1.3
1.7
0,5
11,1
0,2
2,2
0,0
6,1
0,6
0,3
2,6
8.4 
42,3
1,1
0,2
4.7 
0,3 
2,2
1,0
0,5
3,0
6,91,6
2.3
1.3 
2,8 
1.0
17,7
0,6
1,6
0,0
6.4
0,5
0,3
5.6
8.3 
15,4
1.5
0,1
6.3 
0,5
4.7
2,0
1,2
7.8
10,658 
92 
52 
86
101
84
143
38
70
54
40
59
112
52
19
67
41 
69
111
107
101
136
134
791.5
1.5
0,9
1.6
0,5
12,9
0,1
1,3
0,0
7.2
0,7
0,3
1,6
8,8
44,5
1.2 
0,1
4.5
0,2
2,0
1,0
0,4
2.5 
4,81.7
2.9
1.3
2.9
1,0
22,3
0,4
0,9
0,0
9,2
0,6
0,3
3.1 
9,0
19,1
1.2
0,0
4.4 
0,3
4.3
1.8
0,9
5.9
6.343
73
57
70
72
66
105
27
54
49
32
41
76
40
16
40
14
37
62
84
70
84
91
500,8
3.8 
0,4
3.8
2,1
11,7
1,2
1.5
0 ,0
2.7
0,5
0,5
8.3
7.6
16,1
1.3
0,1
12,6
0,9
6.4
1.52,0
9.5
4.81,1
6,6
0,8
6.9
2.7
14,9
0,9
1.5
0,0
2.9
0,5
0,2
4.3
8,0
23,2
1,2
0 ,0
4.8
0,8
5,2
1.4 
1,7
7.6
2.5
TOTAL EUR—5*)mio t100
111100
26
TOTAL EUR—7mio t 
mio tkm 
average kmΤΊΨ5
322 6213 524
134 423
38
*) Federal Republic of Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark.

ANNEX 1 TABLE 5
INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT BY COUNTRY OF LOADING/UNLOADING,  1979
1000 t
Country of loading/unloadingQuantity
loadedQuantity  
unloaded
TOTAL 132 841 135 482
EUR—7 121 505 121 505
Italy 6 033 6 381
Ireland 54 211
Third countries 5 249 7 385
of which :  Switzerland 756 2 494
Austria 843 1 377
Yugoslavia 100 129
Greece 36 79
Turkey 7 14
Spain 758 952
Portugal 89 271
Norway 160 243
Sweden 1 448 1 205
Finland 36 34
German Democratic Republic (l) 54 42
Czechoslovakia 582 29
Other Europe 231 128
North Africa 7 25
Near and Middle East 2 79
Other countries 140 284
(l) Excludes -transport "between Federal Republic of Germany and German Demo­
cratic Republic in vehicles registered in the Federal Republio of Germany 
(total transport between these two countries was 2„3 mio tonnes)e

INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT, INIRA EUR- 7,  BY COUNTRY OF LOADING/UNLOADING. 1979
1000 t
Country of loadingCountry of unloading
EUR—7 D P N B L UK nc
EUR—7 121 505 37 942 23 585 27 90223 765 2 759 3 094 2 458
D 31 946 — 7 05015 665 6 179 919 564 1 569
P 24 366 11 780 -2 108 8 257 684 1 298 239
N 27 128 14 796 3 199 - 8 119 105 530 379
B 29 410 6 845 11 5299 417 - 1 051 411 157
L 2 768 1 251 538 168 811 «
UK 2 429 622 1 087 312 294
nc 3 458 2 645 182 232 105 - 291 -
sr*w
o \

SAMPLING ERRORS, Tonnes (95 % confidence intervals)
Member State  
reporting *)International transport National transport
Loaded UnloadedTraffic relation/  
type of carriageTotalIntrarégional traffipAype of carriage
below ... Number of regions
Germany + 5,9 %
NIL± 5,9 %
NILBelgium, Netherlands, Prance,  
Italy, Denmark
UK, Ireland, Luxembourg,Greece+ 0,2 % ± 2,0 % 
+ 4,0 %21 regions  
1 (Bremen)
Prance••••+ 2,0 %
1 7,5 % 
+ 10,0 % 
+ 20,0 % 
+ 24,7 %1 (Paris)
3 regions  
16 regions  
1 (Limousin)
Netherlands 1976 + 4,8 % 
± 61,1 % 
NIL•
•
•
•
NILBelgium hire/reward  
Luxembourg hire/reward  
Other countries hire/rewardt 2»2 * + 2,0 i
+ 3,0 i o 
1 5,0 i1 region
3 regions
4 regions
Belgium + 0,2 % 
+ 0,6 %+ 0,2 % 
+ 0,5 %Hire or reward  
Own account+ 0,12 / + 1,0 i o 
+ 1,5/03 regions  
1  (Bruxelles)
United Kingsom + 2,6 / ± 2,9 1 » + 1,7 % ì 13,0  
± 19,0 i
+ 21,0 i o
t 31,0 i o3 regions  
7 regions  
1 (East Midlands }
1 (Greater London)
Denmark NIL NIL + 6,3 %(i) + 8,8 * 
(ii) + 12,0 /Hire or reward  
Own account
) Reports on sampling errors received by end December 1982.

ROAD GOODS SURVEYS, 1979 METHODOLOGY :  Type of survey, sampling and response rates
Country Survey(s) Type of transport covered Source of documente/dataType of 
statistical  
enumerationOverall 
sampling 
rate iResponse 
rate %
Germany A
B
C
DLong distance hire/reward  
Long distance own account  
Short distance (.4.50 km)  
International (frontier crossing)Waybill
Monthly return  
Questionnaire  
Record cardOperator
Operator
Operator
DriverSample
Sample
Sample
Sample39.4
11.4 
0,2
37.4100
95
80
100
Prance All Questionnaire Operator Sample 0,3 75
Italy A
BNati onal 
International
Netherlands A
B
COwn account
Hire/reward within Benelux  
Hire/reward outside BeneluxQuestionnaire
Questionnaire
QuestionnaireOperator
Operator
OperatorSample
Sample
Complete0,4
1,9
10087
90
100
Belgium All Questionnaire Operator Sample 0,6 80
Luxembourg All Questionnaire Operator Sample 1,9 60
United Kingdom A
BNati onal
International (sea crossing)Questionnaire
QuestionnaireOperator
OperatorSample
Sample0,1
3,478
65
Ireland All Questionnaire Operator Sample o,5 60
Denmark A
BNational 
Internati onalQuestionnaire  
External tradeOperator
Importer/
exporterSample
Complete0,2
10091
100
Greece A
BNational (1982)  
International (1981Questionnaire  
T.I.R. CarnetOperator
OperatorSample
Complete?
100 95

ROM GOODS SURVEYS, 1979 METHODOLOGY :  Multistage sampling designs
Country| First stage Second stage Third stageOveral 1j
Sampling·· 
Rat··: 'Survey
UnitNumber in 1
UnitNumber in
UnitNumber in
Population Sample Population Sample 3opulation Sample)
Germany
Prance
Italy
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
United
Kingdom
Ireland
Denmark
GreeceA
B
C
DOperator
Operator
Vehicle
Vehicle9 031 
32 998 
930 000 
8 725 9319 031 
32 998 
85 000* 
3 267 782*Journey
Journey
Week13 216 695
14 464 575
525 201 135  
1 653 283* 
1- - -39.4 !
11.4 j
0,2 I
37.4
Vehicle 540 000 92 000*Week 52 1 - - - 0,3
A
B
A
B
CVehicle
Operator
Operator110 000 
8 500 
1 60024 000* 
8 500 
1 600Week
Week52
521
1 -• 0,4
1,9
100
Vehicle 184 130 57 978* Week 52 1 - - - 0,6
Vehicle 7 000 7 000Week 52 1 - - - 1.9
A
BVehicle
RoRoroute503 000 
?20 800* 
15Week
Sailing52
?1
?*Journey ?6 358*0,1
3,4
Vehicle 92 000 23 000*Week 52 1 - - - 0,5
A
BVehicle
Consignmen44 000
t4 000*Week 52 1
—- - 0,2
100
A
BVehicle
Vehicle? ?Week 52 1
- - -· ?
100
* Stratified sample with variable sampling fraction

ROAD GOODS SURVEYS 1979 METHODOLOGY ;  Type of vehicle, survey cut-off point and stratification
Survey cut-off points Basis of stratification
Country SurveyType of vehicle  
covered Vehi desVehicles ind.fi Vehicle
RegionEcon.CountryPronti er Total
exduded Payload
ft)G.W.V.
(*)Size
*■typeAgeActivity pointstrata
*)
Germany A
B
C
DAll
Powered vehicle  
Powered vehicle  
AllSmall> 4,0
>  1,0 Xx2-x12 
x12xl8
xl8
x2 x212
.  216 
? 
4
Prance Load carrying vehicle (i)Small 
(ii)01d> 3,0 -x6x3x3-x2 - - 50
ItalyA
B
Netherlands A
B
CPowered vehicle
All
All> 1,0 
>1,0 
>0.5—x7
xop;x8
x11x41 —,  2 296 
169
Belgium Load carrying vehicle >1,0 -x14x6--- - - 84
Luxembourg Load carrying vehicle >1,0 ------ - - -
United
KingdomA
BPowered vehicle  
Powered vehicleSmall
Small(>2,0=)
(>2,0=)>3,5
>3,5x 8 
xopx 2
—x12-
x5 x10144
?
Ireland Powered vehicle - --x3-x3-- - - .  9
Denmark A
BPowered vehicle  
AllSmall(>3,0=)
•> 6 x4
--x5
-- -20
GreeceLl
Notes :  "G.V.W." = Gro 3s vehicle weigrt; i Prance includes only vehicles less than 15 years old.
/ = Road tractors for semi-crailers included hy Germany "B" over 40 kW;  by Denmark "A" over 3 t GVW.
£ = Size of operator :  Netherlands "BM;  U.K. "B".
* = Not all strata are crossnstratified.