Introduction to road transportation

Highway transportation is the mode of transporting passengers and goods on highways. It is a component of the transportation system, primarily handling short-distance passenger and freight transport. Modern transportation primarily uses automobiles. Therefore, highway transportation generally refers to automobile transportation. In remote and economically underdeveloped areas with rugged terrain, sparse population, and underdeveloped railways and waterways, highways are the main mode of transport, serving as transportation arteries.

On February 28, 2025, the National Bureau of Statistics released the "Statistical Communiqué of the People's Republic of China on National Economic and Social Development in 2024," showing that in 2024, the total volume of highway freight transport reached 41.88 billion tons, an increase of 3.8% over the previous year; freight turnover reached 7,684.75 billion ton-kilometers, an increase of 3.9% over the previous year; the total volume of highway passenger transport reached 11.78 billion passenger trips, an increase of 7.0% over the previous year; and highway passenger turnover reached 511.7 billion passenger-kilometers, an increase of 8.0% over the previous year.