The latest Transport Market Monitor, which assesses European transport and haulage dynamics, has found that transport prices have decreased due to higher availability of capacity and low diesel prices.
The Monitor, put together by Capgemini Consulting and Transporeon, found that the price index decreased by 2.4 per cent in Q4 2015 – leading to an index of 98.2 (the same level as Q4 2014).
The capacity index increased to 88.6 (14.3 per cent), but this was still 2.6 per cent lower than in Q4 2014 (90.9).
In Q4 2015, diesel index increased by 0.1 per cent to an index of 73.1, just above the six year low.
“The Q4 price index is exactly the same as the Q4 price index in 2012 and Q4 2014. The capacity available was a bit lower than last year in Q4,” said Erik van Dort, supply chain director at Capgemini. “That this does not lead to a higher price could be caused by the still exceptionally low costs of diesel, which was in Q4 2015 20 per cent lower than in the same quarter of the previous year”.
Peter Förster, managing director of Transporeon, said: “I will be watching developments in terms of transport prices and capacities with great interest. So far, the first quarter has generally brought an increase in capacities and falling prices. However, it remains to be seen how far prices will fall from the current low level.”
