German hauliers are facing a difficult combination of diesel costs, CO₂-related toll charges and lengthy waits for payment, while weak freight demand limits their ability to secure better rates.
For Irish operators carrying goods to and from Germany, the pressures underline the importance of recovering journey costs and keeping a close watch on customer payment terms.
Germany’s road haulage association, BGL, warned in September that higher diesel costs were placing substantial financial strain on small and medium-sized transport businesses. In an appeal to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, it argued that traditionally narrow margins leave many operators unable to absorb sustained cost increases.
BGL is seeking an end to what it describes as a double CO₂ burden through Germany’s national emissions trading system for fuel and the CO₂ component of truck tolls.
The association has also called for a commercial diesel arrangement, with energy taxation reduced to the EU minimum. These are industry demands rather than confirmation of a permanent support package.
For a haulier, the commercial problem is straightforward: diesel and tolls must be funded as journeys take place, but recovering those costs depends on both the agreed transport rate and when the customer pays.
Credit insurer Atradius highlighted this funding gap in its June transport and logistics assessment. It reported that German road freight businesses can face immediate diesel payments while waiting around 60 days for customer invoices to be settled.
With margins below 3%, according to Atradius, financing that gap creates considerable pressure. Its assessment also identifies rising labour costs, driver shortages and strong competition from Central and Eastern Europe as additional challenges.
Lengthy payment terms do not automatically mean an invoice is overdue. However, even customers paying within agreed terms can leave a haulier financing several weeks of operating costs. Any further delay extends that exposure.
At the same time, the German freight market offers limited scope for businesses to grow their way out of trouble.
Deutsche Bahn’s 2026 interim outlook expects German road freight to remain broadly flat this year. It points to a sluggish economy and high cost pressures, with sustained stabilisation in the wider freight market not expected until 2027. The report also highlights continued weakness in key industrial sectors, including automotive and chemicals.
That combination creates a difficult negotiating environment. Operators need rates that reflect their costs, while customers facing their own commercial pressures have an incentive to resist increases.
For Irish hauliers serving the German market, the practical response is to examine the full cost of each movement, including tolls, empty running and waiting time, alongside the payment record of the customer.
Fuel surcharge arrangements also need to respond quickly enough to changing costs. A surcharge recovered weeks after a fuel increase may protect the eventual margin while still leaving an immediate cash-flow gap.
The German experience highlights a familiar vulnerability across European haulage: keeping trucks busy is only commercially sustainable when the rate covers the work and payment arrives in time to fund the next journey.
