Demand for freight on key European routes and fuel shock lifts road rates

Europe’s road freight market has started 2026 with a noticeably stronger demand pulse. A new report from the European Road Transport Institute (EITD), based on data from the Trans.eu platform, shows that the first quarter brought a sharp upswing in spot-market activity, heavier traffic on freight platforms and clear upward pressure on prices. The main trigger was the conflict in the Middle East and its knock-on effect on fuel costs.

Carrier activity was relatively subdued in the first two months of the year. On most routes, the number of freight searches was lower than a year earlier. That changed in March. The clearest rebound came on Spain–France, where carrier activity climbed by 29 percent year on year. Positive results were also recorded on several other Western European lanes.

The biggest shifts, however, were seen in freight rates. After modest increases in January and February, March delivered a clear acceleration.

The steepest rise was on Poland–Italy, where rates increased by 14.1 percent year on year. Benelux–France followed with 13.6 percent, and Poland–Germany with 13.5 percent. Double-digit growth was also reported on routes including Germany–Poland, Germany–Benelux and Italy–Poland.

Not every corridor moved at the same pace. On France–Germany and France–Benelux, the rate of growth cooled compared with previous months — even though the broader European trend remains upward.

When fuel costs jump and contracts stop reflecting real operating expenses, loads move to the spot market. That’s exactly what we observed in the first quarter. In a high-uncertainty environment, spot becomes the main pricing mechanism for transport,

EITD believes the growing role of spot may become one of the defining trends in European transport in 2026. Cost volatility, geopolitical tensions and fuel pressure are pushing both carriers and shippers away from multi-month contracts and toward more flexible ways of working.

Source: trans.info