ResearchPublished 15 January 2026·Updated 27 February 2026·CC BY 4.0

European Road Freight Rate Index 2026

Name: European Road Freight Rate Index 2026
Creator: Transroad
Published: 2026-01-15
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Annual benchmark of road freight rates across 15 major European corridors. Published under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 — freely citable with attribution to Transroad. Rates in EUR/LDM for standard LTL groupage.

©This dataset is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). You may use, share, and adapt this data freely with attribution: Transroad European Freight Rate Index 2026, trans-road.com

15Corridors tracked

30+Countries covered

Q4 2025–Q1 2026Data period

CC BY 4.0Open licence

Rate Table — EUR/LDM by Corridor

Rates shown are market ranges for standard LTL groupage. Excludes fuel surcharge (add 15–28%), ADR, customs, and ferry/tunnel fees. 1 LDM ≈ 1,750 kg maximum.

Corridor	Distance	Rate Range (€/LDM)	Transit (Std LTL)	YoY Change	Carrier Density
Spain → GermanyMost traded ES-DE corridor; Barcelona–Munich most active lane	1,600–2,100 km	€140–195	3–5 days	+4.2%	High
Spain → FranceHighest frequency of all Spanish export corridors	500–1,400 km	€90–140	1–3 days	+2.8%	Very High
Spain → Italy	1,100–1,800 km	€105–155	2–4 days	+3.5%	High
Spain → NetherlandsRotterdam port hub drives demand	1,800–2,200 km	€150–205	3–5 days	+5.1%	Medium
Spain → Belgium	1,650–2,050 km	€145–195	3–5 days	+4.0%	Medium
Spain → PolandRapidly growing corridor; Polish automotive and manufacturing demand	2,200–2,800 km	€165–230	4–6 days	+6.3%	Medium
Spain → UKIncludes Eurotunnel/ferry surcharge; post-Brexit customs add 0.5–1 day	1,500–2,200 km	€175–270	3–5 days	+1.9%	Medium
Spain → Sweden	2,800–3,400 km	€190–265	4–7 days	+7.2%	Low–Medium
Spain → Austria	1,700–2,200 km	€150–210	3–5 days	+4.8%	Medium
Spain → SwitzerlandCustoms surcharge +€67–156 depending on LDM	1,300–1,800 km	€160–230	3–4 days	+2.1%	Medium
France → Germany	600–1,300 km	€85–130	1–2 days	+3.0%	Very High
Portugal → Germany	2,100–2,600 km	€155–215	4–6 days	+5.5%	Medium
Italy → Germany	700–1,400 km	€90–145	1–3 days	+2.7%	High
Spain → Romania / BulgariaFastest-growing corridor from Spain; automotive and agriculture	2,800–3,500 km	€145–210	5–8 days	+8.4%	Low
Germany → PolandMost liquid corridor in Eastern Europe	350–900 km	€55–90	1–2 days	+3.8%	Very High

Sources: Transroad operational data (primary), IRU World Road Statistics 2025, Ti Transport Intelligence Rate Index, Upply Market Insights Q4 2025. Rates as of Q1 2026.

Key Findings 2026

+4.1%

Average rate increase across all tracked corridors vs 2025

After the 2024 oversupply correction (−6.1% average), rates are recovering. Driver shortages (220,000+ vacancies EU-wide) and rising operating costs are the primary drivers.

+8.4%

Spain → Romania / Bulgaria — fastest-rising corridor

Automotive supply chain reshoring and agricultural exports are driving demand. Carrier capacity on this corridor has not kept pace with demand growth.

+7.2%

Spain → Sweden — second-fastest rising corridor

Nordic demand for Spanish goods (particularly food & beverage and automotive components) has grown 12% YoY in volume terms, tightening available capacity.

+1.9%

Spain → UK — most moderate increase

Post-Brexit customs friction continues to suppress demand growth. Volume remains ~40% below 2019 pre-Brexit levels. Rate inflation limited by surplus capacity on the corridor.

Methodology

Operational Data Collection

Base rates drawn from Transroad's live pricing engine covering 30+ destination countries. Rates reflect actual quotes issued in Q4 2025 – Q1 2026.

Market Cross-Validation

Benchmarked against published indices from IRU, Ti Transport Intelligence, Upply Market Insights, and DAT Freight & Analytics.

Rate Definition

All rates in EUR/LDM for standard LTL groupage. Excludes: fuel surcharge (15–28%), ADR surcharge, customs fees, and tolls unless noted.

Transit Times

Standard LTL groupage transit. Express LTL typically 1 day less. FTL typically 1–2 days less. Times are working days, door-to-door from Spain.

Currency & Date

All prices in EUR. Rates reflect market conditions as of Q1 2026. Published annually; next update Q1 2027.

How to Cite This Index

This dataset is published under CC BY 4.0. Use any of the formats below:

APA

Transroad. (2026). European Road Freight Rate Index 2026. Retrieved from https://trans-road.com/research/freight-rate-index-2026

Chicago

Transroad. “European Road Freight Rate Index 2026.” Accessed 2026. https://trans-road.com/research/freight-rate-index-2026.

Wikipedia ref

{{cite web |url=https://trans-road.com/research/freight-rate-index-2026 |title=European Road Freight Rate Index 2026 |publisher=Transroad |date=2026-01-15 |access-date=2026-02-27}}