How much does road freight cost per km in Europe?

Road freight in Europe typically costs EUR 1.10 to EUR 2.00 per km for a full truckload (FTL) in 2026, depending on route distance, lane direction, and CO2 class. Short hauls under 300 km attract EUR 1.80-2.50/km, while long cross-border runs of 1,500 km or more drop to EUR 1.10-1.35/km.

What affects the road freight rate per km?

Fuel and driver costs account for roughly 60 percent of total haulage cost, according to the IRU Road Transport Cost Benchmark . Lane imbalance pushes rates up on unbalanced corridors, as carriers price empty-return risk into the outbound load. Cross-border tolls add a further layer. See the EU road tolls guide for trucks for country-level rates.

Germany's CO2 toll surcharge (administered by BALM ) adds EUR 0.011-0.200/km depending on vehicle class. On a 750 km Munich-Hamburg run, an older Euro V fleet pays EUR 6-12 more in tolls than a Euro VI carrier - a cost that surfaces in the freight rate. A TMS platform with carrier compliance data automates this comparison across your lanes.

How do FTL and LTL rates per km compare?

FTL (full truckload) and LTL/groupage rates are not directly comparable per km. An FTL rate covers the whole trailer regardless of fill; LTL is priced per pallet or 100 kg and converted to a per-km equivalent only for benchmarking. LTL equivalents typically run 1.5 to 2 times the FTL rate on the same lane.

The Upply/IRU Q4 2025 Benchmark (published February 2026) shows groupage rates held firmer than FTL during Q3-Q4 2025, as e-commerce demand kept consolidation networks busy while spot FTL rates softened on corridors such as Poland-Germany.

East-west corridors (Poland, Romania to Germany or France) are typically the most competitive, driven by high volume in both directions. North-south corridors attract a premium due to longer empty legs and ferry crossings. Domestic short-haul within Germany, France, or Italy is the most expensive per km - high driver wages and congestion are spread over few kilometres.

The distance-band table below shows typical FTL rate ranges across Europe in 2026, based on IRU benchmark data and the Q4 2025 Upply/IRU report:

Real-time lane rates shift with diesel prices, driver availability, and seasonal demand. Connecting GPS tracking to your TMS gives live visibility into carrier utilisation and helps procurement teams spot when spot rates diverge from benchmark.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average road freight rate per km in Europe in 2026?

The midpoint benchmark for an FTL on a 300-800 km European lane is approximately EUR 1.50-1.80/km in 2026, per the IRU benchmark and Upply/IRU Q4 2025 report. This assumes a curtainsider, Euro VI vehicle, and a balanced lane. Spot rates can sit 10-20 percent above or below this range.

Why is the rate per km higher for short distances?

Fixed costs - driver loading time, low-speed fuel burn, and toll minimums - are spread over fewer kilometres on short hauls. A 150 km urban delivery may take four hours door-to-door. The same four hours on a motorway covers 350 km at a lower per-km cost.

How does the Germany CO2 toll surcharge affect the per-km rate?

BALM's CO2 surcharge adds EUR 0.011-0.200/km depending on emission class. For a Euro VI truck on a 1,000 km German motorway segment, that is roughly EUR 11-20 added to the toll bill. Carriers pass this through as a line item or within the base rate, so specifying CO2 class in your RFQ prevents surprises.

Is the rate per km the same for FTL and groupage (LTL)?

No. LTL/groupage per-km equivalents run 1.5 to 2 times the FTL benchmark on the same route, because the carrier handles multiple pick-ups and deliveries and incurs terminal sorting costs. If your shipment fills less than 70 percent of a trailer, compare LTL and FTL prices - on longer corridors, a nearly full FTL is sometimes cheaper per pallet.

Request a road freight rate quote from logifie.com and compare FTL and LTL pricing on your specific lane with verified European carriers.