Record rates mask 'dire situation' for hauliers as costs outstrip earnings
Record European road freight rates are masking a "dire situation" for hauliers, with soaring fuel costs eroding margins and operators struggling to pass increases on to shippers, according to industry bodies.
The Q3 European Road Freight Rate Benchmark, published yesterday by IRU, Upply and Transport Intelligence (Ti), showed contract rates reaching a record 148.9 index points in Q3 2026, up 14.6 points year on year, while spot rates hit 147.6 points, up 12.9 points.
However, IRU told The Loadstar that rising freight rates were not translating into improved profitability, with operating costs increasing substantially faster than the prices carriers could charge.
In France, operating costs rose approximately 14% between January and September with contract rates increasing just 7%.
By March, costs had already climbed 8%, while freight rates were still falling.
"Higher freight rates are masking a dire situation for operators, as shippers try to mitigate a raise they haven't yet seen in full," IRU said.
Ti said the increases were "overwhelmingly a supply-side story", driven principally by diesel rather than stronger demand.
EU diesel averaged €2.05 per litre in Q3, up 32% year on year, peaking at €2.27 on 27 September.
"The cost evidence is unambiguous," Ti told The Loadstar. "The CNR long-haul cost index rose 13.2% year on year in September, but strip diesel out and the increase is 1.3%.
"Almost the whole cost rise is fuel, so the rate rise is largely carriers recovering a bill they have already paid."
Ti added that tolls had risen 7% year on year, while semi-trailer equipment and maintenance costs increased 3.5% and 2.4%, respectively.
It said contract rates had outpaced spot rates throughout Q3, suggesting some cost recovery through contract renewals, although anecdotal evidence indicated carriers were shouldering more increases in Q4.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said UK operators were experiencing similar pressures, with more than eight in ten businesses reporting declining margins.
"Fuel is about a third of the cost of running a truck, and firms are paying an extra £385 a week per vehicle. On margins of around two per cent, there is very little left to absorb that," an RHA spokesperson told The Loadstar.
Its fuel survey found just one in ten operators could pass on fuel cost increases, with the remainder absorbing some or all of the additional expenditure.
"On a fixed-rate contract there is no way to recover costs until the terms are renegotiated. And the fuel bill has to be paid long before the customer's invoice is," the RHA added.
Meanwhile, concerns are growing that weakening haulage capacity could trigger further rate increases when demand recovers.
Ti said European operator numbers were stagnating or declining in several markets, largely because fewer businesses were entering the industry rather than widespread failures.
"Capacity is leaving through lack of replacement rather than mass failure, which is slower and harder to reverse," it warned.
Heavy truck registrations reached approximately 60,100 in Q3, but annual growth slowed to 7% from 8.4% in June, suggesting operators were deferring fleet renewals.
Driver shortages are compounding the problem, with around 502,000 European truck driver positions unfilled, according to IRU figures cited by Ti.
"If demand does rebound in 2027, every route to adding capacity is slow, and with costs expected to remain high, a sharp price response is the likely result," Ti warned.
IRU similarly expects rates to continue rising as carriers attempt to recover operating costs.
The RHA, meanwhile, called for a 15p-per-litre fuel rebate for essential users, arguing it would provide vital relief to struggling UK hauliers.
