How is the market reacting to these changes? How will they affect operational planning and the costs of e-commerce services?


These are very important issues. The market is currently reacting with caution, although the scale of the upcoming changes indicates that they are largely inevitable.

These regulations will not only affect the availability of employees, but above all will increase the operating costs of transport companies, which will directly translate into higher delivery costs. In this context, maintaining express delivery services will involve additional expenses, including employee costs, transshipment infrastructure, and operational facilities.

At the same time, market consolidation is increasingly being predicted. Demanding operating conditions may prove to be a barrier for smaller companies, which in turn may limit available transport capacity. Some smaller carriers are likely to decide to cooperate with larger entities or be taken over by them.

An additional challenge for carriers from EU countries will be growing competition from companies outside the EU, whose different national regulations and lower operating costs may give them a price advantage over European companies.

 

How will these changes affect cooperation with customers in the context of light transport?


The impact on the e-commerce market will be significant. As an international carrier, we will be forced to revise our current network of connections and update the costs of individual routes. This is due to a further increase in operating costs. Since 2022, the Mobility Package has significantly changed the economics of international transport, and subsequent stages of regulation introduce additional burdens that may accelerate market consolidation but also increase the risk of the gray market growing.

On the operational side, costs related to the purchase and installation of G2V2 smart tachographs, their legalization, the implementation of remote data collection systems, as well as training for drivers and operational staff in the use of the devices and working time regulations must be taken into account.

A key change will be the inclusion of drivers of vehicles up to 3.5t in the provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 561/2006, which will introduce a strict regime of driving times, breaks, and rest periods. In practice, this means a significant reduction in flexibility in route and delivery planning. There may be situations where a driver will be forced to stop driving several dozen kilometers before their destination or in an urban area, which in light transport, serving diverse and often specific locations, poses a serious operational challenge.

 

In my opinion, weekly rest periods are a particularly underestimated problem. Until now, the moment they began was not of key operational importance, but from July 2026, the requirement to apply a cycle of six consecutive 24-hour periods will significantly affect the continuity of vehicle operation. This will translate into, among other things, additional accommodation costs, the need for precise planning of journeys to rest areas, and periodic vehicle downtime.

In the e-commerce and express transport sector, this will have a direct impact on service availability and delivery times. As a result, carriers will face additional organizational challenges, increased costs, and pressure on the labor market.

These consequences will also be felt by customers in the form of higher rates and potentially longer delivery times, which will ultimately translate into the end customer's experience.

In addition, the market may undergo further consolidation, with the growing role of large and medium-sized operators and new models of cooperation, while facing competitive pressure from companies outside the European Union.