Compared to the same period last year, mileage by trucks exceeding 7.5 tonnes on Germany’s toll road network fell by a significant 10.9% in March. Both domestic and foreign hauliers felt this decline. German companies saw a drop of 11.8%, while foreign trucks collectively saw a decrease of 9.8%.
Polish trucks, a major player on German roads, were particularly affected, with mileage down 9.9% to around 640.5 million kilometres in March 2024 compared to March 2023. Interestingly, Lithuanian hauliers, who had been steadily increasing their activity despite the overall decline, also saw a minimal decrease of 0.9% in March, covering roughly 123 million kilometres.
The first quarter of 2024 paints a similar picture. Overall truck traffic in Germany dipped by 3.1% to approximately 9.8 billion kilometres, compared to 10.1 billion kilometres in the first quarter of 2023. German trucks themselves saw a 3.8% decline, while Polish trucks travelled 1.9% fewer kilometres. However, it’s worth noting that Polish trucks still hold a slightly larger share of total mileage for the period January-March 2024 (19.3%) compared to the same period in 2023 (19.1%).
Lithuania, on the other hand, bucked the trend in the first quarter. Their truck traffic on German roads grew by 6.1%, and their market share also increased, rising from 3.4% in the first three months of 2023 to 3.7% in the same period this year. Conversely, German trucks saw their market share dip slightly, from 56.5% in Q1 2023 to 56% in 2024.