Overdue invoices, margins on the edge — TSL enters Q4 with the brakes on

Overdue invoices, margins on the edge — TSL enters Q4 with the brakes on

Although as many as 57% of hauliers acknowledge that most of their invoices and orders are fulfilled in the final months of the year, the mood is far from optimistic. Instead of excitement — rising costs, payment bottlenecks and a lack of readiness for the green transformation. 💸🚛

📉 The business climate index in transport and warehousing fell in August 2025 from +1.1 to –0.4 points, reflecting deepening concerns about the future.

The biggest problems:

⛽ Rising operational costs — over 80% of companies confirm an increase in expenditure, and 60% report rises exceeding 10%.

⏰ Late payments — as many as 60% of hauliers state that at least half of their invoices are paid after the due date (on average 2 weeks late).

🔄 Payment bottlenecks — the main source of difficulty for 63% of respondents.

📉 Low margins — more than half of companies do not achieve a margin above 10%, and many of them… cannot define it at all.

🔌 Added to this is the lack of readiness for fleet electrification — almost 60% feel entirely unprepared for the transformation imposed by the EU's Fit for 55 package.

⚖️ Despite this, the sector is not without positive relationships — as many as 65% of hauliers and 80% of freight forwarders rate their mutual cooperation well. As many as 30% of companies anticipate an improvement in their situation in the second half of the year. Could this be the first glimmer of hope? 🌤️

👉 How do you rate the current state of the TSL sector? Are your companies ready for the challenges of Q4?

* Information drawn from the "Financial Index of the TSL Sector 2025" report by Transcash. 

Source: Transcash (Financial Index of the TSL Sector 2025)