Key takeaways
- 70% of the companies surveyed have experienced direct or indirect consequences of an insolvency.
- 47% are seeing more payment defaults or late payments.
- 86% identify energy, labour and fuel costs as among their biggest challenges.
- Despite the risks, 70% expect business conditions to remain stable in the short term.
The online survey was conducted in May and June 2026 among almost 100 companies from Germany’s logistics sector. Because of the small sample, the results cannot be considered representative of the industry as a whole. They do, however, show how payment failures and insolvencies are increasingly affecting ongoing commercial relationships.
Insolvencies can affect the entire supply chain
Nearly three in ten respondents, or 29%, said they had experienced the direct effects of an insolvency, for example after a customer or service provider became unable to pay. Another 41% reported indirect consequences for their business relationships.
The effects of an insolvency can therefore extend well beyond the company at the centre of the crisis. Unpaid invoices or undelivered contractual services can put financial pressure on business partners that are otherwise economically sound.
Payment behaviour provides a particularly clear example. In total, 47% of those surveyed had seen more payment defaults or late payments. Around 23% described the deterioration as slight, while another 23% reported a significant worsening. For 52%, payment behaviour had not changed.
For transport companies, unpaid receivables can quickly become a liquidity problem. Fuel, driver wages, tolls, leasing payments and insurance costs still have to be covered, regardless of whether the customer has settled the freight invoice.
Corporate insolvencies remain elevated
The survey was conducted against a backdrop of persistently high insolvency levels in Germany.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, German local courts recorded 2,266 corporate insolvency filings in June 2026. That was 15.8% more than in June 2025.
The insolvency trend monitored by the Halle Institute for Economic Research also continued to point to an elevated level. In August 2026, the IWH recorded 1,525 insolvencies involving individuals and companies. Although this was 10% fewer than in July, the figure was 9% higher than in August 2025. Compared with the average for August between 2016 and 2019, the total was 63% higher.
High operating costs add to the pressure
Payment risks are affecting the sector at a time when companies are already dealing with substantial ongoing costs. Among the businesses surveyed by Creditsafe, 86% identified energy, labour and fuel costs as among their biggest challenges.
Half of the respondents also pointed to intense competitive pressure on prices. This leaves companies with less room to pass higher costs on to customers through increased freight rates or logistics prices.
Official data reflects the same cost pressure. The Federal Statistical Office reported that producer prices in the transport and storage sector were 6.2% higher in the second quarter of 2026 than a year earlier. Road freight transport prices rose by 5.8%. Destatis identified higher fuel costs as one of the main drivers.
Transport businesses are therefore facing an unfavourable combination of rising costs, limited pricing power and a greater risk of customer payment failures.
Credit checks are becoming more important
Some companies are already responding by taking a more cautious approach to credit management. Measures mentioned in the survey include stricter credit checks, requesting advance payments from customers considered higher risk, shortening payment terms, and reducing or tightening credit limits.
The focus is not limited to new customers. The financial position of long-standing business partners can also deteriorate within a short period.
This is especially important for transport companies because several weeks often pass between completing a job and receiving payment. If a customer’s financial position worsens during that period, the carrier initially bears the risk that the receivable will never be paid.
Short-term outlook remains relatively positive
Despite the higher risks, most respondents remain fairly confident about their own business prospects in the near term.
70% expect no change over the next three months, while 17% anticipate an improvement. Only 11% expect conditions to worsen.
The survey therefore points less to an imminent collapse than to growing counterparty risk across the supply chain. Even financially stable transport and logistics companies can come under pressure when customers or service providers pay late or fail to settle invoices altogether. With operating costs already high, several large payment defaults may be enough to put significant pressure on liquidity.
