Britain’s freight sector is set for a practical round of real‑world testing. On 3 December 2025 the Department for Transport awarded almost £1.1 million to nine SMEs through the Freight Innovation Fund, with Connected Places Catapult supporting trials across roads, ports and rail. The cohort will pilot technologies from aerodynamic trailers to AI scheduling and e‑cargo trailers, each receiving up to £130,000 to prove impact in live operations.

Why this matters is simple: transport remains the UK’s largest emitting sector. In 2023, domestic transport produced 111.8 MtCO2e (29% of total UK emissions), with road vehicles responsible for nearly nine‑tenths of that. Heavy goods vehicles alone emitted 18.2 MtCO2e, accounting for 16% of domestic transport emissions. Cutting waste in freight flows is therefore one of the fastest ways to trim carbon while improving reliability.

One focal point is empty running. Official figures show around 30% of HGV vehicle‑kilometres in Great Britain are still driven empty, a stubborn share that barely shifted in 2023 and 2024. Anteam will test an AI platform with Welch Group and Baxter Freight to match spare capacity across fleets, aiming to reduce dead mileage and costs while validating emissions savings with audited methods.

Urban deliveries are also under the microscope. SLANT Sustainable Technologies will trial an electric‑assist trailer with The Pedal Collective to help cycle couriers carry heavier loads without vans. Independent research from the University of Westminster finds cargo bikes can deliver 1.61 times faster than vans in central London while cutting CO2 by around 90% versus diesel-evidence that supports shifting short trips to micromobility where it fits the job.

On trunk roads, Berkeley Coachworks will put a lightweight, motorsport‑inspired trailer into service with Welch Group to quantify fuel savings from lower weight and drag, including durability and ease of integration. If results stack up, the combined manufacturing and in‑use carbon cut could offer a practical upgrade path for fleets renewing assets.

For long‑distance parcels, GoLink Advisory Group is set to demonstrate a high‑speed rail option built around new Class 93 electric locomotives, integrated with electric HGVs on the road legs. Partnering with DPD UK, the trial seeks to prove competitive end‑to‑end times and reliable handovers so overnight flows can shift from motorway and air to lower‑carbon rail.

Ports will see a wave of instrumentation. Rhevia will deploy privacy‑preserving radar to give Portsmouth International Port and DFDS a live, predictive picture of trailer and tug movements; SpatialCortex will assess musculoskeletal risk with its MOVA wearables alongside Port of Tyne, DHL and Portsmouth; and Zizo will integrate datasets with Welch Group and Portsmouth to identify maintenance, warehouse and yard efficiency gains.

This round builds on a track record. Since 2023, the Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator has supported 29 companies with £3.9 million, leading to 27 real‑world trials; alumni have secured over £100 million in follow‑on investment and created 44 jobs, according to Connected Places Catapult and DfT.

There are human outcomes behind the tech. Ensemble Analytics, a previous beneficiary, co‑developed its Athena workforce platform with Associated British Ports and The Bristol Port Company during trials. Both partners have since moved to commercial contracts-an example of how targeted R&D support can translate into safer staffing and smoother shifts on the quayside.

Policy plumbing matters too. The Freight Innovation Fund sits alongside Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG), which feed early‑stage ideas towards live trials, while a new government freight plan due in 2026 promises a roadmap for a modern, resilient system aligned with net‑zero goals. The pipeline gives promising ideas a route from lab to loading bay.

For operators, the opportunity is immediate: measure today’s empty‑kilometre baseline and load factors, ring‑fence a few lanes for capacity‑sharing trials, and shift short, low‑volume urban drops to cargo bikes or e‑trailers where the geography works. Instrument yards and ports to understand dwell, near‑misses and ergonomic risks, then fix the pinch points that data reveals-often with payback measured in months rather than years.

What to watch over the next year is transparent evidence: fuel and energy per tonne‑kilometre, the share of parcels moving by rail, cargo‑bike coverage of city centres, shorter dwell times and fewer musculoskeletal injuries. If the trials publish open metrics-and procurement teams buy on verified performance-the UK can cut freight emissions while delivering faster, safer, more predictable logistics.