S30027 Freight Improvements

National Highways is commissioning this service as part of its Freight Improvements project, under the Customer Journeys group. This initiative is aligned with the 2025-26 Customer Service Plan and supports preparations for Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3). It sits within the CED portfolio business case, ensuring strategic alignment with broader corporate delivery objectives. The objective is to improve the experience of the freight and logistics sector on the Strategic Road Network (SRN), enhance Logistics and Coach Managers' satisfaction (PI 5.6), and ensure that future schemes proactively consider freight needs from the earliest stages. The service will support the development of a Freight and Logistics Assessment and Review. It will be part of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) to embed freight and logistics needs and considerations into scheme development.

This work will be informed by the Department for Transport's Future of Freight Strategy, the updated National Planning Policy Framework, and DfT Circular 01/2022 on the strategic road network and the delivery of sustainable development. These frameworks are particularly relevant to local plan development and the provision of sustainable freight infrastructure. The service is being commissioned in recognition of the following strategic drivers: