Over recent months, we have observed a noticeable shift in the European haulage market. This shift is directly affecting vehicle availability, transport pricing and quotation response times for movements in and out of the United Kingdom.
If you have experienced supply constraints or greater difficulty securing reliable coverage recently, this update explains the core market drivers behind the current conditions.
The Shift Towards Intra-EU Routes
Many European hauliers are increasingly prioritising intra-EU routes over UK deliveries. Routes entirely within the European Union, such as Italy to Germany, often offer comparable financial returns while completely bypassing the operational complexities associated with entering the UK market.
Carriers are actively weighing up several challenges when deciding where to deploy their fleets:
-
Border Friction: Ferry crossings and their associated delays.
-
Security Risks: Increased risks and heavy financial penalties linked to undocumented migrants found onboard vehicles.
-
Customs Complexity: Additional UK customs and border requirements.
-
Administrative Burden: Mandatory processes including GMR, ENS, export documentation, CDS and French crossing procedures.
-
Planning Delays: Longer planning and dispatch times due to generally reduced carrier capacity.
For UK bound transport, documentation requirements now include multiple layers of compliance. In contrast, many intra-EU movements can still operate with significantly simpler administrative processes.
The Biggest Disruptor: New Tachograph Rules for Vans
While border friction is a constant, the single biggest operational challenge currently affecting availability is the implementation of new tachograph requirements for commercial vans.
Across the entire market, hauliers have been forced to temporarily withdraw vehicles from active operation. Vans are being brought back to depots to install new tachograph hardware, integrate updated GPS and software systems, complete testing and familiarise drivers with the new operating processes.
This compliance mandate has created an immediate, sharp reduction in available vehicles on the road.
Practical Impacts for Shippers
This perfect storm of border avoidance and vehicle downtime is being felt across the entire freight forwarding sector. In practical terms, shippers can expect the following market realities:
-
Reduced Capacity: Fewer vans and trucks available for daily transport jobs.
-
Slower Quotations: Longer response times for pricing and bookings. Historically, quotes were turned around rapidly based on known lane performance. Today, securing transport requires checking live market availability vehicle by vehicle.
-
Increased Effort: A much higher planning effort is required to secure capacity and confirm coverage.
-
Pricing Pressure: Reduced operational flexibility naturally places upward pressure on transport rates.
Looking Ahead: The Productivity Impact
Looking to the future, these compliance requirements are expected to continue affecting overall market productivity. Transport operators anticipate that the new driving time controls and mandatory breaks associated with the tachographs will permanently reduce the number of jobs a vehicle can complete within a standard operating cycle.
Current market conditions continue to evolve rapidly. We remain focused on maintaining our service quality, ensuring transparent communication and providing realistic lead times while adapting to these changing operational realities.