Financial pressure in 2026 goes far beyond diesel prices. Increasingly important are tolls linked to CO2 emission class, which in some countries have already risen by as much as 40%. At the same time, fuel charges are increasing, and the ETS2 system covering fuels used in road transport is on the horizon.
The scale of the additional burdens is starting to become measurable. The Italian transport association Federtrasporti has already calculated that each truck covering 100,000 kilometres a year will impose an additional burden of around EUR 6,000 on hauliers.
However, this is only part of the growing cost pressure. Operating expenses are also rising, directly weighing on the day-to-day operations of transport companies.
Direct costs
– The fastest-growing expenses are fuel and wages, but also insurance as well as maintenance and repairs – says Flavius Cret, Regional Manager at Raben Logistics Romania.
In his view, volatility in spare parts prices and rising labour costs have translated into a rapid increase in service expenses.
– We estimate that operating costs have increased over the past two years by around 15–25%, as a result of the cumulative impact of these factors – he adds.
Cristina Radu, Director of International Road Transport at KLG Europe Logistics in Romania, also points to a similar scale of increase. In her view, operating costs have risen by around 15% over the last two years, with the scale depending on fleet structure and the level of financial exposure.
– The main drivers are wages and allowances, which have increased by around 15% due to labour shortages and pressure to retain staff. Diesel prices remained on average stable, despite short-term fluctuations that were not structural in nature. At the same time, financing costs – loans and leasing – increased by 2–3%, reflecting tighter credit conditions – notes Cristina Radu.
A particularly sensitive cost category remains driver pay.
– It keeps rising, driven not only by inflation, but above all by a serious shortage of qualified staff and increasingly stringent compliance requirements – says Daniel Babii, Director at DSV Road in Romania.
Katarzyna Kisielewska, CEO of the Polish company Alfa Forwarding, puts it even more bluntly: driver pay is not negotiable and is most often a condition for maintaining operational continuity.
– Any forwarding company that wants to retain its portfolio of best clients and win new ones must face this challenge – she adds.
Indirect costs
While fuel and wage costs are visible at first glance, indirect costs are a growing burden that is harder to estimate and pass on to the customer.
– These are compliance-related costs, driven by the expansion of European regulations, social requirements, reporting obligations, and an increased number of inspections. On top of that come additional administrative burdens, including internal processes, audits, mandatory digitisation, and documentation management. These elements directly affect liquidity, financial predictability, and operators’ ability to invest – says Cristina Radu.
In addition, there are technical expenses: replacing toll collection devices with models compatible with 4G technology, mandatory replacement of tachographs (the cost of one unit is approx. EUR 1,000), or spending on IT systems and the integration of accounting processes.
According to analysts at the factoring company Bibby Financial Services, expectations regarding data quality will also tighten – timeliness, reliable proof of delivery, transparency of settlements, and accurate emissions information will become key.
Decarbonisation is still expensive
On top of these ongoing burdens comes decarbonisation pressure. Electric trucks are still significantly more expensive to purchase than diesel vehicles, and the investment requires building your own charging infrastructure.
– At the same time, the latest generations of electric trucks show high reliability and achieve mileages that make them suitable even for long-distance routes – provided that range and charging points are aligned with the planned route – says Stefan Hohm, Director of Development at Dachser.
Hohm admits that operations can already pay off where the right regulatory framework is in place, e.g. exemptions from tolls. In local transport, where there are no such benefits, the business case can still be difficult to balance.
– Decarbonisation makes economic sense if it is planned according to realistic usage profiles, supported by credible regulatory frameworks, and understood within the company as a learning process – he adds.
In other words, decarbonisation is not a question of “if”, but “when and how”, and the answer depends on the profile of the specific company.
Negotiating position stronger than it might seem
Despite the accumulated cost pressure, demand conditions give hauliers some room to manoeuvre.
– The market shows that demand for transport services is not weakening. This allows hauliers to maintain a strong negotiating position – claims Katarzyna Kisielewska. She points to the hauliers’ strike at Gdańsk’s Baltic Hub on 7 January as an example of how industry pressure can effectively influence other links in the supply chain.
Passing some of the costs on to customers is an inevitable process. The biggest challenge – especially for SMEs – is building customer relationships in which they understand the need to share the growing costs.
– Although in the TSL industry rates are usually the starting point of every negotiation process, competing on price alone is a road to the brink of bankruptcy. Delivering the highest value to customers brings real benefits in the long term – says Katarzyna Kisielewska.
What does this puzzle add up to?
2026 forces transport companies to shift from reactive cost-cutting to active profitability management. An increase in operating costs of 15–25% in two years, growing regulatory requirements, wage pressure and decarbonisation pressure – these forces act simultaneously and compound.
Companies that can precisely calculate costs taking into account all variables (not just fuel), selectively choose contracts, and build relationships based on value rather than the lowest price have a chance not only to survive, but to strengthen their position. The rest – especially the part of the market that still competes solely on rate – may find itself backed into a corner this year.
