Understanding Road Transportation in Belgium
Market Monday - Week 11 - Facts, figures and insights into road transportation in Belgium
About this series
The transportation landscape in Europe represents one of the world's most sophisticated logistics networks, where over thirty countries intersect in a complex web of trade routes and regulatory frameworks. This comprehensive series examines the key transport markets that drive Europe's logistics sector, offering data-driven insights and practical market intelligence.
Our analysis combines real-world data from the Transporeon platform with official statistics from Eurostat, focusing primarily on full truckload road transport while maintaining relevance for other transport segments.
The Belgium road transportation market
With a GDP of around 600 billion Euros, Belgium stands as the EU's sixth-largest economy. Given the country`s current presence in worldwide trade, efficient logistics and transportation solutions are essential.
Belgium has one of Europe's densest and most developed road transport networks. Its strategic location, including major continental ports, makes it a crucial hub for neighboring European countries - serving as an important origin, destination and transit point for shippers and transport operators.
Belgium comprises three distinct regions. Wallonia, Flandern and the Brussels area. Each region has its own characteristics and regulations, which can vary significantly. This regional division adds complexity to transport operations, as dealing with these different areas involves navigating various rules and systems beyond just language differences - unusual for a relatively small European country.
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The Infrastructure Edge
Belgium's flat topography and well-developed infrastructure support major intermodal terminals, facilitating connections for intercontinental traffic and serving as a key hub for intra-European trade routes between Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, and France. Belgium ranks third in Europe for motorway network density, with 58 meters of motorway per square kilometer. Despite ranking 18th in goods transported per motorway kilometer, indicating lower utilization than the European average, Belgium experiences less traffic congestion than its neighbors, excluding Brussels. The relationship between the high motorway density and the low utilization could be further explored to understand the underlying factors.
Demand Dynamics
The demand for transport in Belgium is predominantly international, with 72% of transports crossing borders. This high level of international activity, combined with Belgium's substantial GDP, reinforces its position as a key player in European trade. Belgium shows a clear export focus, with outbound transports (58,4%) outweighing inbound (41,6%). This pattern reflects the country´s strong manufacturing presence and its role as a major exporter, supported by its advanced infrastructure and strategic location.
Transport routes reveal strong regional partnerships. For inbound traffic, Germany (29.4%) and the Netherlands (21.0%) are the dominant partners. Outbound transport flows show a more dispersed pattern, with France leading at 23.0% (indicating a significant disparity), followed by Germany (21.9%) and the Netherlands (21.1%) in a more balanced distribution.
Toll Characteristics
Belgium employs a regionally regulated kilometer fee-based toll system that varies by vehicle weight, EURO class, and road type. This system applies to most national and regional roads, ensuring that heavy vehicles contribute to infrastructure maintenance and development. Toll rates are adjusted annually, with the average cost at €0.19 per kilometer. This system reflects actual road usage while encouraging the use of environmentally friendly vehicles.
Due to different regional systems, navigating toll changes and determining current costs can be complex. In a European context, toll costs are moderately high, accounting for about 8% of total costs for an average FTL transport in Belgium.
Capacity Characteristics
The capacity landscape in Belgium has seen a 12% decrease in newly registered heavy trucks in 2024 compared to 2023. This decline stems from economic conditions and changes in fleet management strategies. The share of cabotage, which represents the percentage of ton-kilometers transported by foreign carriers, accounts for 5.7% within Belgium, indicating moderate foreign carrier activity. In international transport foreign carriers dominate, handling most shipments.
With its well-developed infrastructure and moderate rejections rates, Belgium's transport market maintains reliable capacity availability, with reduced risk of capacity shortages during peak times.
Rate Characteristics
Belgium's contracted rate levels for domestic, inbound, and outbound transports are categorized as medium, reflecting a balanced cost structure. Spot rates show moderate market fluctuations, with an average variation of 6.7%.
Beyond typical imbalanced markets like the United Kingdom or Sweden, Belgium-France transport routes show notable price disparities. Transport costs from Belgium to Northern France and Île-de-France regions are high, while return routes offer lower rates, reflecting demand patterns.
Conclusion
Belgium's transport market exemplifies efficiency in action. With its high international trade volume, extensive motorway network, and strategic location, the country serves as a vital hub for European logistics. The stable market conditions, characterized by consistent capacity availability and competitive pricing, create an attractive environment for both shippers and carriers.
While regional differences and regulations present some challenges, particularly for foreign operators, Belgium's strong manufacturing base and export-driven economy continue to generate valuable opportunities across the transport sector. This balanced market ecosystem reinforces Belgium's position as a cornerstone of European freight transport.
Christian Dolderer
Lead Research Analyst
Transporeon