UK businesses fully trading: transportation & storage
UK businesses fully trading: transportation & storage stood at 94% in Aug 2026, according to ONS — Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS). It is one of the indicators in the Business trading status (BICS) table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Sep 2021 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Business trading status (BICS) table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Currently fully trading | |||||||||||
| Transportation & storage | 94 | 87 | 87 | 90.6 | 84.7 | 94.5 | 89.7 | 81.3 | 84.5 | 83.1 | |
| Accommodation & food service | 88.5 | 89.3 | 80.7 | 88.1 | 80.4 | 82.5 | 71.6 | 71.9 | 74.5 | 79 |
Understanding UK businesses fully trading: transportation & storage
Haulage operators, logistics providers, freight forwarders, warehousing facilities, and public transport enterprises across the United Kingdom operating without disruption represent the scope of this series. The calculation captures the proportion of mobility and storage businesses reporting normal trading conditions, separating functioning supply chain links from those experiencing operational restrictions. This industry classification sits upstream and downstream of retail and manufacturing, reflecting the physical movement of goods and passengers.
Evaluating transport and storage data requires keeping in mind scheduled maintenance periods, seasonal freight demand surges, and fuel price volatility that can alter operating margins without halting a firm's trading status. Early estimates are subject to revision as transport fleets and logistics hubs submit late returns. Observers comparing this series with industrial production should account for the lag between goods being manufactured and subsequently transported to market. Monthly figures can fluctuate due to transport-specific disruptions, making medium-term trend analysis more reliable than single-period evaluations.
Frequently asked questions
- Are passenger transport and freight storage grouped together in this indicator?
- Yes, the transportation and storage sector aggregates both passenger carriers and freight handling facilities into a single overarching category.
- Can a logistics firm be counted as fully trading during fuel shortages?
- A transport business is categorised as fully trading if its normal operations continue without imposed restrictions, regardless of external cost pressures.
- How do revisions affect early estimates in this sector?
- Large transport and logistics companies frequently return survey data after initial publication deadlines, causing minor adjustments in subsequent releases.