The last country to join the European Union in 2013, Croatia has an economy focused on the service sector, particularly tourism.

The country now has comprehensive infrastructure in good condition. It also serves as a link between the European Union and other countries of the former Yugoslavia that aspire to future EU membership. The Croatian road transport sector mirrors the manufacturing industry, dependent on foreign trade and in need of growth. International trade accounts for two-thirds of total road transport activity. Its main markets are Italy, Austria and Germany. Croatian road transport companies are often small and subcontract to Italian companies or position themselves as the last link in a subcontracting chain that begins in Germany, passes through Slovenia and the large transport organisations in Croatia. Faced with a shortage of drivers, Croatian road transport companies often turn to Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia to recruit.

This update to the study on Croatian road haulage highlights the general increase in costs, except for fuel in the specific context of 2020. Driver productivity appears to be declining slightly (-3.4% over three years), while wages are rising rapidly, up 5.6% over two years. The total cost of a 40-tonne truck has increased by 6.4% over three years, mainly due to a surge in toll costs (+39% over three years), maintenance and repairs (+11 %), insurance (+15.5 %) and vehicle ownership costs (+15.7 %). The fall in fuel costs in 2020 (-14.8 %) mitigates the final result.

Overall, the total cost rose to €0.81 per kilometre in 2020, compared with €0.77 in 2018, but remains very low, confirming the Croatian flag's position in the ranking of the most competitive flags in Europe.
The CNR invites you to discover this new study, which provides comprehensive details on Croatian TRM under the operating conditions of 2020.