New Delhi: India’s highways are powered by millions of trucks that move food, fuel, cement, steel and consumer goods across the country every day. But a new report has revealed a troubling reality although trucks account for only 3 per cent of vehicles on Indian roads, they are responsible for more than 50 per cent of the country’s road transport pollution.
The findings, published by the Smart Freight Centre India, The Energy and Resources Institute and Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, show that heavy-duty trucks contribute nearly 53 per cent of particulate matter emissions. They also account for over 60 per cent of black carbon and more than 70 per cent of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from the road transport sector.
India transports billions of tonnes of freight annually, and demand is projected to nearly triple by 2030. In a business-as-usual scenario, emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles are expected to rise from 27 per cent of total road transport emissions in 2019-20 to 35 per cent by 2030-31, further worsening air quality across freight corridors.
Why Heavy Trucks Pollute Disproportionately
The reasons behind the disproportionate pollution are rooted in fuel type, fleet age and operational intensity. Most freight trucks in India run on diesel, and a significant portion of them are more than a decade old. Older diesel vehicles emit far higher levels of particulate matter and black carbon compared to newer models.
The report highlights that trucks older than 10 years contribute the majority share of black carbon and particulate emissions within the heavy vehicle segment. These emissions often create toxic hotspots along highways, industrial belts and logistics hubs areas where city-wide air quality averages fail to capture the severity of pollution exposure faced by local residents.
Despite the scale of the issue, freight emissions remain largely unmeasured. Of nearly 800 companies reporting under SEBI’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting framework, only about 7 per cent disclose freight-specific emissions data. Even among those that report, methodologies vary widely, leading to inconsistent and unreliable numbers. In one case cited in the report, a cement company’s freight emissions estimates ranged four-fold depending on the framework used.
National Roadmap to Fix the Crisis
The report proposes adopting ISO 14083, a globally recognised standard for calculating transport emissions, adapted with India-specific data. Standardised measurement would allow companies to identify the most polluting routes, enable policymakers to design targeted interventions, and help transporters monetise verified reductions through carbon credits under India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme.
Experts warn that inaction could have serious economic consequences. The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which came into effect in 2026, requires exporters to disclose embedded carbon emissions. Without reliable freight emission data, Indian exporters could face penalties, affecting competitiveness in global markets.
Beyond trade implications, the cost of inaction is visible in rising health burdens, lost productivity and deteriorating air quality in towns and cities connected by freight corridors.
The report concludes that while trucks form a small share of vehicles, they represent a high-impact opportunity for reform. With proper measurement, cleaner technologies and targeted policy action, India can significantly cut emissions from a sector that plays a critical role in powering its economy.