Lorries are running full, yet profits are still melting away!

Sounds like a paradox? That's the current reality on the German transport market. Although the figures look promising at first glance – in March 2026 the number of paid kilometres rose by 4.6%, and the transport barometer jumped by 7.2% in April – sentiment in the industry is falling sharply. Hauliers' business expectations plunged by as much as 25.5% year on year.

The latest report from the European Network of International Freight Forwarders ELVIS reveals a painful truth about the market:

📉 An illusion of demand: Full schedules and high fleet utilisation are mainly down to the fact that competition on the market has shrunk drastically due to insolvencies and company closures, not to a rise in the volume of freight.

🏭 Industrial crisis: The German economy grew by just 0.3% in the first quarter, while manufacturing output fell by 4.3%. Sectors such as chemicals, automotive and machine building are still feeling weak demand.

🔥 Costs exploding: In April 2026, diesel prices shot up by 41.3% year on year, and AdBlue costs rose by 25.5%, driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

"As long as costs keep rising faster than freight rates, margins will remain the key challenge."

Higher fuel prices are, admittedly, boosting interest in battery-electric lorries, but low profitability is making it harder for smaller companies to make costly investments in electrification. The situation is made worse by the fact that vehicle shortages are no longer being eased by an inflow of vehicles from Eastern Europe. For many operators, 2026 will be a year of protecting profits and profitability rather than dynamic growth.

Is your business also feeling such drastic cost pressure on foreign markets?