Road Transport Costs in the Netherlands to Rise in 2026: Introduction of Truck Toll to Cause Further Increase Mid-2026
The expected cost development in road freight transport in the Netherlands, excluding fuel cost developments and excluding the truck toll, for 2026 compared with 2025 ranges between +3.4% and +4.8%. This is shown in our report “Cost Developments in Road Transport 2025–2026”. In addition, as of 1 July 2026, costs will further increase due to the introduction of the truck toll.
The realised cost development, excluding fuel cost developments, in 2025 ranges between +3.6% and +5.0%. This does not take into account any specific market circumstances. The expected cost increase in 2026 combined with the difference between the 2025 estimate and realisation varies between 3.2% and 4.6%, again excluding fuel cost developments and excluding the truck toll.
Wage Cost Development
The realised wage cost development in 2025 compared with 2024 is +5.5%. The expected wage cost development for 2026 is +6.1%. At present, no new collective labour agreement has been concluded. The wage cost development is based on the wage growth in the market sector as calculated by the Centraal Planbureau (Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, CPB), which essentially comprises a wage increase of 4.2% as of 1 January 2026. In addition, the effects of “holiday allowance value” (+1.7%) and “extra hours of part-time employees” (+0.5%) have been included, offset by the effect of lower social contributions (–0.3%).
Fuel Cost Development
Fuel costs decreased in 2025 compared with 2024 by an average of 0.6%.
2025 Realisation in Line with 2025 Estimate
The realised cost development for 2025 deviates only slightly from the estimate as presented in the report of October last year.
Other Key Cost Developments in 2026
Interest costs on equipment are expected to rise by 20% and insurance costs by 7.1%. As of 1 July 2026, vehicle tax will decrease and the Eurovignette levy will be abolished, as a result of the introduction of the truck toll.
Effect of Truck Toll Between 0% and 9.8%
As of 1 July 2026, a truck toll will be introduced in the Netherlands. This toll will cause an additional increase in the cost of road transport. The effect of this increase is not included in the calculation of total cost developments, as it depends on vehicle weight, CO₂ emission class and the number of tolled kilometres driven. As a result, the cost increase may differ per situation (per trip and per customer) and may rise to as much as 9.8%. For zero-emission vehicles, the toll will be substantially lower.
Specific Circumstances
In addition to regular developments, specific circumstances may influence cost developments. There are regulatory changes in the field of sustainability, such as zero-emission zones, REDIII, ETS2 and CSRD. Furthermore, there are developments specific to subsectors or individual companies, such as congestion. These are described in the report but cannot be expressed in a single figure and are therefore not included in the cost development. In addition, companies are taking various measures that lead to efficiency improvements and cost savings, for example measures aimed at fuel savings or investments in ICT.
The report (in Dutch) can be purchased via our webshop.
