New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the number of good vehicles on the roads rose by 13.3% last year as the recovery in the building and construction sector continued.
In its road freight transport survey for 2016, the CSO said that tonnes carried by increased by 20%, while vehicle kilometres rose by 19.7%.
The total distance covered by road freight transport last year was 1.558 billion kilometres.
A total of 141.7 million tonnes of goods were transported by road last year - the highest level since 2009 when 148.3 million tonnes were carried.
But the CSO said this was still well below the peak figure of 299.3 million tonnes in 2007.
The CSO said that while overall road transport activity has reached close to 2009 levels in terms of volumes carried and distance travelled, the number of goods vehicles on the road is 13% higher than in 2009.
But it added that road transport activity is still about 50% below the peak levels reached in 2007.
Today's figures reveal that large lorries - over 10 tonnes unladen weight - amount to 20% of the national fleet but carry 87% of the tonnage. They account for more than half of all laden journeys and they carry heavier and larger loads due to their size.
The type of work showing the greatest annual increase in tonnes carried in 2016 was delivery of goods to road works or building sites. This category includes many building materials such as sand, gravel, cement and concrete.
Increases were also seen in the delivery of materials and fuels to factories and delivery of goods to wholesalers and retail outlets.
