Crisis of an important industry: – In the opinion of Polish carriers, this is it the most serious market crisis in over 20 years. A crisis that has forced many companies to reduce their fleet and employment, and in extreme cases, restructuring, liquidation or bankruptcy – says Maciej Wroński, president of the Employers' Association “Transport i Logistyka Polska”. The report for 2024 shows that the financial situation of transport companies is the worst in many years.
Fatal data: The profitability of companies in the transport industry is the weakest since 2019 in the survey 37 percent companies declared that they expected a decline in revenues in the coming two years, and 14 percent expects stagnation. The share of road transport in bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings in the entire economy increased from 5%. in 2021 to as much as 13 percent in 2024. Moreover, real GDP in this sector shrank by 3%. y/y compared to 0.2 percent in the overall economy. In no other sector has the economic slowdown been so profound.
There are more problems with Polish transport: The vacancy rate is already 44 percent higher. from the average for the entire economy. Meanwhile, in 2019 it was at 8%. This is due to, among others, from stopping the inflow of immigrants to the market. For the first time, the number of Polish companies with international transport licenses also decreased. The geopolitical situation is also not favorable. The economic downturn in Germany means that the number of orders is decreasing. Plus labor costs, fuel prices and other energy carriers are rising, and decarbonization is just around the corner, and transport should be preparing for it.
Are we paying for years of success? “These phenomena are largely a result of the very good economic situation in previous years, when revenues, prices and margins grew rapidly, some companies overinvested, and labor costs reached a level that was difficult to maintain during the economic downturn,” notes Ignacy Morawski, director of the SpotData analytical center. On the other hand, in 2004, when Poland was joining the EU, Polish companies realized 5 percent. European transport work. Currently they do 20 percent. and overtook the European leader Germanyy. “A stabilization trend is slowly starting to emerge from the data, as if there was a ceiling at the level of 20 percent that is difficult to break,” Morawski estimates.
Is there hope? “However, the market is absolutely not stagnant. It is undergoing intensive structural changes, companies are adapting to new conditions, increasing efficiency, investing in new technologies, preparing for the return of business growth and profitability in the long term,” the center's director continues. analytical SpotData. The report stated that 70 percent companies plan to expand their fleet in the next five years54 percent foresees digitization of processes, and 28 percent intends to develop new logistics services.
Read also: “Czechs will step on the gas on highways. 'We are speeding up transport throughout the republic'.
Sources: : Report “Road transport in Poland 2024/2025”