Looking at this summer’s reports, it is hard to shake the feeling that we are witnessing a reconfiguration of the fundamental rules of the logistics market. For a long time, the main intrigue was the redistribution of cargo flows: how much road transport would take from rail, whether the Eastern Polygon would withstand the load, whether we would manage to build up the fleet in time. Today, the challenge has changed, and it is far more fundamental. The key problem of the first half of 2026 is not routing, but the very availability of cargo. The economy has stopped generating the volume that until recently seemed guaranteed.

Transport statistics, which have always been a reliable leading indicator of business activity, are alarming. Road freight transport decreased by almost 5% over the first four months of 2026, according to Rosstat. And this is not a seasonal fluctuation: fleet utilization is declining, tariffs remain unstable, and the profitability of long-haul transportation is shrinking under the pressure of leasing, fuel, and spare parts costs.

The full text is available on the Vedomosti website.