Last year was not kind to companies operating in the transport sector. Will we face a wave of bankruptcies of small, family-owned TSL companies in the coming months?
The year 2022 was difficult not only for the transport industry. The war in Ukraine, inflation, record-breaking prices of diesel oil – all of this translated into the profitability of this business. Companies from the TSL sector have been tightening their belts, but there are many indications that not everyone will be able to continue to do so. And the market prospects for the coming months point to stabilisation at the current level rather than a spectacular rebound.
THE LITTLE ARE HAPPY THE HARDEST
The GUS report “Road transport in Poland in 2020 and 2021” published at the end of February shows that in 2021, revenues from the sale of services in transport companies increased by 9.8% year on year. Sounds like data from an industry that’s doing really well? Actually. However, when we look at the cost statistics, it turns out that they have increased by as much as 15.6% over the same period! We can be sure that 2022 will deepen the difference between the dynamics of revenues and costs in our industry.
For the smallest companies (and there are the most of them in Poland), this means serious problems. It is estimated that the average transport company in our country has a fleet of 4 trucks. If the profitability of each of them is kept at a low level, this business simply stops being profitable.
Half the trouble when this state of affairs lasts for a month or two. In the hope that the situation might improve soon, many were even ready for temporary losses. However, when high costs and low freight rates stabilise, more and more entrepreneurs may be forced to go out of business.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS?
The way to “escape forward” in this situation is to increase the fleet. Having more cars and generating even a small profit from each, it is easier for us to deal with fixed costs. The problem is that expanding the fleet requires capital and employing drivers, which have traditionally been more and more difficult for several years.
Domestic shortages have so far been supplemented by workers from Ukraine, Belarus or Russia. However, the war taking place beyond our eastern border meant that transport companies had to reach for drivers from Central Asia. And it is not so that only entrepreneurs from Poland look there. After all, it is estimated that there is currently a shortage of around 70,000 professional drivers in Germany alone.
HOW IS VEGA TRANSPORT PERFORMING?
We don’t want you to take our post as a complaint. VEGA Transport is doing really well despite the difficult situation. For some time now, we are no longer one of the smallest transport companies, we have our regular customers, and our turnover remains at a stable level.
Just like the costs, which we effectively control thanks to the investments made some time ago. Our cars are new – economical and do not require any repairs. We use advanced IT solutions, thanks to which we very consciously optimise routes and avoid empty journeys. We are constantly expanding our team and fleet of vehicles.
So, if you have experience in transport, but the current market situation raises your concern, write to us and see how comfortable working in the transport industry can be.
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