UK – “30 years as market leader in the UK truck market” exclaimed David Kiss, Managing Director of DAF Trucks UK. This was the headline emanating from senior management last December as members of the UK press gathered in Oxford for DAF Trucks UK Ltd's annual end-of-year address. This event, hosted by the Thame-based subsidiary of Dutch truck manufacturer DAF Trucks NV, featured a comprehensive market update heading into 2025.

Whilst official UK truck market figures are set to be published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on February 17^th, 2025, we do know that DAF remains the market leader, building on its 2023 UK truck market (>6-tonne) share of 30.5%. This means that DAF has been the market leader for 30 years, a significant achievement indeed.

Looking at the total market size and trends, in the first 3 quarters of 2024, 33,376 HGVs were sold and in Q3 2024, the number declined by 6% compared to the same period the year before, according to SMMT statistics. This indicates that overall, HGV sales in 2024 were likely to be lower than the previous year (2023), which saw 46,227 new trucks registered.

Operational Highlights

Kiss highlighted a few milestones in his speech. 2024 marked 50 years of DAFaid, its roadside assistance service. Over the years, it has evolved into a comprehensive service, handling around 100,000 roadside jobs annually, including support for non-DAF vehicles like trailers, buses, and agricultural equipment. The service is available 24/7, with an average call response time of eight seconds and a travel time of around 50 minutes to the job site. DAF Trucks UK claim that over 80% of issues are resolved at the roadside, with most vehicles back on the road within 110 minutes. DAFaid's milestone coincides with a management change: Andy Mudie was appointed as the new DAFaid & Aftersales Systems Manager, following Matt Coates, who transitioned to head DAF's training portfolio.

In 2024 DAF attended multiple events including RTX and Cenex where the new XB Electric 19-tonne GVW rigid made its UK show debut. Also available in 12 and 16-tonne variations, representatives in June, told T&BB that the vehicle was now in series production in Eindhoven and that due to production delays, the UK subsidiary had had to wait to get the first few products into the country. Today, DAF Trucks offers a wide range of electric trucks from 12 tons GVW to 26 tons and tractor units up to 40 tons with battery sizes to suit any application. To assist the rollout of electric trucks, the company offers the services of Paccar Power Solutions, which includes advanced charging systems and energy management tools aimed at helping fleets transition to electric mobility more effectively. DAF UK completed the first customer deliveries of its new-generation electric trucks in 2024.

Kiss went on to explain that its popular UK and Ireland Driver Challenge returned in 2024. The Driver Challenge (4^th edition) saw 20 finalists battle it out over a two-day (in autumn) multistage process to crown the best Commercial Vehicle (CV) driver in the UK. Costica Moscal emerged as the winner of the 2024 DAF UK & Ireland DAF Driver Challenge and will progress to the European-wide DAF Driver Challenge taking place in 2025.

DAF UK & Ireland DAF Driver Challenge