Polish carriers remain the European Union’s largest force in road freight. In 2025, companies registered in Poland performed around 381 billion tonne-kilometres of transport work, equal to 20.2% of the EU total.
Germany ranked second with a 14.7% share, followed by Spain at 14.5%. Total road freight transport work across the EU reached about 1.886 trillion tonne-kilometres, up 0.9% year on year.
Poland’s advantage is strongest in international transport
Polish hauliers have built their position on international routes, cross-trade and cabotage as well as domestic logistics. The country’s central location, large fleet and long experience serving Western European supply chains have helped companies scale beyond the domestic market.
The Poland-Germany corridor remains particularly important. Around 68.4 million tonnes of goods were transported between the two countries, making it the EU’s second-largest bilateral road-freight flow after Germany-Netherlands.
Scale does not remove margin pressure
Being the largest market by transport work does not guarantee high profitability. Carriers face rising wage costs, fuel-price volatility, road tolls, financing costs and increasingly strict environmental requirements.
Competition is also changing as companies invest in digital fleet management, alternative fuels and intermodal services. Larger logistics groups can spread technology and compliance costs across more shipments, while smaller operators remain more exposed to price competition.
Industrial and trade cycles remain crucial
Road freight demand is closely linked to European manufacturing and retail activity. Germany’s industrial performance is especially important for Polish transport companies because of the scale of bilateral trade.
Krystian Koprowski, Transport Sales Director Central Europe at FM Logistic, notes that the sector’s long-term position will depend on efficiency, driver availability and the ability to adapt fleets to changing regulatory requirements.
Poland’s 20.2% share shows that road transport remains one of the country’s strongest service exports. The challenge is increasingly to convert that scale into sustainable margins while the sector moves toward lower-emission logistics.
Source: EU road freight statistics and FM Logistic commentary.
