Transport Market Monitor: Figures show weak economic development in October

by David Fleschen

A look at the transport market shows the still low economic growth in Europe. The transport capacity available for road transport increased by 15 percent in October compared to September (source: www.transportmarketmonitor.com). Compared to the previous year, the supply of free cargo space was 15 percent higher in October. By contrast, transport prices only fell slightly
(-1.5%). This is clear from the current evaluations of the online service Transport Market Monitor (TMM), which Tim Consult creates anonymously on the basis of real transport data from the spot market of the Transporeon platforms. The central developments in the month of October at a glance:

    The capacity index has risen by 15 per cent from 96.5 to 111 index points since September. Compared to 2018, the growth in October was also 15 percent.
    The transport price index fell from 104.5 to 102.9 index points. That corresponds to a price decrease of 1.5 percent. Transportation prices were 6.5 percent lower than in October last year.
    The diesel price index has changed only slightly compared to September with an increase of 0.8 percent and is 4.5 percentage points above the diesel price of October 2018.

Overall, the development of transport market prices and capacities in September and October 2019 followed the trend of the previous year. "Seasonal fluctuations have been weaker this year. In addition, the increase in capacity can be attributed in particular to empty truck beds in the chemical and automotive industries as well as in the steel and metal sectors, "says Oliver Kahrs, Managing Director of Tim Consult, a subsidiary of Transporeon.

The increase in daily transport capacity on the Spot Market offered by loading companies in the chemical industry was particularly strong. There he was in October at almost 40 percent. According to statements by the leading employers' association (BAVC), the chemical-pharmaceutical industry has been in recession since autumn 2018 in Germany. This is due to the decline in world trade and difficulties in key customer industries, such as the automotive industry. "A sector in which the increase in available transport capacity in October was also a strong 15 percent," continues Kahrs. In the steel and metalworking industry, the free freight volume was around ten percent.

Source: Tim Consult, Photo: Fotolia

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