How to measure emissions from Freight: Owned vehicles

What counts as Freight: Owned vehicles

Freight: Owned vehicles covers the movement of goods in vehicles the reporting organisation owns, leases or otherwise controls — vans, rigid trucks, articulated HGVs and refrigerated variants used to move your own or your customers' freight. Fuel combusted directly in these vehicles falls under the GHG Protocol's control approach as Scope 1; electricity used to charge owned electric freight vehicles is Scope 2; and the upstream (well-to-tank) emissions of that fuel or electricity sit in Scope 3 Category 3. Ownership and control — not who is driving or which direction goods are moving — is what puts an activity here rather than in Downstream or Upstream freight.

Because you control the vehicle, this is one of the few freight activities that touches Scope 1 and Scope 2 directly, alongside the Scope 3 slice that always accompanies fuel and electricity use. The fleet may be refrigerated or standard, articulated or rigid, ranging from a single delivery van to a full HGV fleet — the taxonomy separates these by weight class and configuration because fuel intensity varies sharply between them. This is distinct from Freight: Downstream and Freight: Upstream: Third party, both of which cover freight moved by carriers you don't own; outsource distribution to a haulier and the activity moves out of Scope 1 and 2 entirely into Scope 3 alone. Watch for double counting where a mixed fleet includes both owned and third-party-operated vehicles — only vehicles under your operational control belong here.

What activity data you need

Collect the most specific physical unit available. Unit definitions are in Appendix I — Description of Units.

• km
• kWh
• litre
• tonne
• £ Spend
• tonne.km

Which emission scope it falls under

Freight: Owned vehicles activity data typically maps to Scope 1 and Scope 2 and Scope 3 Category 3 under the GHG Protocol. Confirm organisational boundary and ownership before reporting.

Sub-types available in the platform

All 22 sub-types available in the platform.

• Diesel (average biofuel blend)
• HGV -- All artics
• HGV -- All HGVs
• HGV -- All rigids
• HGV -- Articulated (>3.5 - 33t)
• HGV -- Articulated (>33t)
• HGV -- Rigid (>17 tonnes)
• HGV -- Rigid (>3.5 - 7.5 tonnes)
• HGV -- Rigid (>7.5 tonnes-17 tonnes)
• HGVs refrigerated -- All artics
• HGVs refrigerated -- All HGVs
• HGVs refrigerated -- All rigids
• HGVs refrigerated -- Articulated (>3.5 - 33t)
• HGVs refrigerated -- Articulated (>33t)
• HGVs refrigerated -- Rigid (>17 tonnes)
• HGVs refrigerated -- Rigid (>3.5 - 7.5 tonnes)
• HGVs refrigerated -- Rigid (>7.5 tonnes-17 tonnes)
• Petrol (average biofuel blend)
• Van -- Average (up to 3.5 tonnes)
• Van Class I (up to 1.305 tonnes)
• Van Class II (1.305 to 1.74 tonnes)
• Van Class III (1.74 to 3.5 tonnes)

Data entry options

• fuel type

  Select fuel type when entering freight: owned vehicles activity data in the platform.

• load type

  Select load type when entering freight: owned vehicles activity data in the platform.

Full list of data entry options

Common questions

Do I include vehicles I lease but a third party drives and maintains?

It depends on which party has operational control. If you dictate routes, loads and fuel purchasing, the vehicle is typically still yours to report; if a logistics contractor runs it as part of their own fleet, treat the activity as outsourced freight instead.

How should I split emissions between Scope 1 and Scope 3?

Direct combustion of diesel or petrol in the vehicle is Scope 1. The extraction, refining and transport of that fuel before it reaches your tank is a separate Scope 3 Category 3 entry, and most activity data tools calculate this automatically once you've logged the fuel volume.

What about biofuel blends?

Record the specific blend where your fuel supplier states it — average biofuel blend diesel and petrol are both tracked in the taxonomy — since blend composition affects the emissions profile without needing you to calculate anything manually.

My refrigerated vehicles run a separate diesel unit for cooling. Does that count here?

Yes. Fuel burnt by an auxiliary refrigeration unit on a vehicle you own is still Scope 1 fleet fuel; keep it in your vehicle fuel records even if it's metered separately from the drivetrain.

Is empty running (deadheading) included?

Yes — fuel burnt while a vehicle travels without cargo still counts, since the emissions occur regardless of load. Some telematics systems can split loaded from empty mileage for analysis, but total fuel consumed is what matters for reporting.