The signs of recovery in the European road haulage market in 2013 are fading, giving way to a year of stagnation in 2014. Significantly, growth in the new Member States (NMS) is weak, at +2.1% year-on-year. Poland, the driving force behind the Eastern European road haulage market, is marking time with a modest growth rate of 1.3% year-on-year, below the NMS average. Others are experiencing strong growth, such as the Baltic countries, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania, generally thanks to international trade. Among the EU15 countries, Germany and Spain are recovering after several years of consecutive declines, with +1.4 % and +1.6 % respectively. France (-3.6 %) and the United Kingdom (-2.7 %) share the same fate, with similar declines in both domestic and international trade. With -7.4 %, the decline in overall activity is even more pronounced in Italy, which is seeing a significant drop in its domestic TRM.
Across Europe as a whole, at international level, bilateral trade is declining, while third-country TRM and cabotage remain buoyant.